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KARACHI, Jan 6: A petition challenging the Arts Council election results was on Thursday disposed of as withdrawn when a division bench of the Sindh High Court was informed that the district coordination officer had already ordered a recount of votes in his capacity as ex officio chairman of the council.
A number of candidates who lost the polls moved a writ petition, maintaining that the counting of ballots was marred by irregularities. They amended the petition twice to implead the necessary parties.
Deputy Attorney-General Nadeem Azhar Siddiqui and city district government counsel Manzoor Ahmed said the federal, provincial or the CDGK had nothing to do with the council, which was a NGO, or its elections. Only the DCO was ex officio chairman of the council.
Appearing for the DCO on Thursday, Advocate Akhtar Hussain informed the bench, comprising Justices Sabihuddin Ahmed and Amir Hani Muslim, that the respondent officer had already sealed the ballot boxes and ordered a recount. The petitioners sought to withdraw the petition through their counsel, Islam Hussain, and the bench disposed it of accordingly.
SERVICE TRIBUNAL: The Sindh Service Tribunal has allowed 34 grade one-to-nine employees of the provincial health department to file fresh representations separately against cancellation of their appointment orders.
They were appointed in February to vacancies advertized in July 2003, but the orders were withdrawn in April. They moved the high court, which asked them to file departmental representations.
The petitioners filed a joint representation, which was rejected by the department. They challenged the rejection before the tribunal through Advocate M. Nawaz Shaikh.
A tribunal bench, comprising tribunal chairman Justice Abdul Ghani Shaikh (retired) and member Nur Ahmed Shah, allowed the appellants another opportunity to move departmental representations separately by Jan 15. The department was asked to dispose them of by speaking orders on merit within 90 days of receipt.
