May 14, 2007	Monday	Rabi-us-Sani 26, 1428

ISLAMABAD, May 13: Serving and retired government servants, whose cases are held up with the non-functional Federal Service Tribunal (FST), have urged the government to immediately appoint its chairman so that their cases could be decided.

The tribunal has become non-functional for the last over one month after the tenure of its chairman ended with over 7,000 cases on hold.

The chances of its revival are not so bright in the near future since the ministry of law has not been able to recommend suitable names to the president to fill the post as the ministry was “busy somewhere else”.

In the meanwhile, all the members of the tribunal are sitting at home and the staff from registrar to personal secretaries are enjoying a leisurely free time at government expense.

When approached, a lawyer practising at the tribunal said every time a chairman retired there was a gap of weeks and months before his successor was appointed.

“During this period, cases of thousands of civil servants and pensioners remained unattended without judicial relief to the aggrieved, worsening their agony and despondency,” he said.

He said the law ministry was responsible for submitting the case to the president for the appointment of the FST chairman under article 212 of the constitution.

The ministry of law, he said, was fully aware of the date of retirement of the outgoing chairman. “By failing to fulfil a constitutional obligation the government has hurt the cause of justice while the civil servants and pensioners are the worst sufferers,” he added.

Another FST lawyer said the government had no excuse anymore for the delay in appointment.

A civil servant, whose case was pending with the tribunal and fixed for hearing during the third week of April, felt totally disappointed when he was told two-days before the hearing that the case had been postponed because the tribunal was non- functional.

“There are thousands of others like me who are suffering on account of delayed justice,” he said.