September 08, 2007	Saturday	Sha'aban 25, 1428

KASUR, Sept 7: Contradictory statements by the district nazim and the district coordination officer (DCO) over power to announce a public holiday in the district have shown a loophole in law.

Kasur Nazim Rana Hayat Khan, who belongs to the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), has announced a public holiday in the district on Sept 10 on the arrival of PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif in Pakistan. In a notification issued to all public departments and schools, the nazim said that all office would be closed on Sept 10 to celebrate the national here’s arrival in Pakistan.

DCO Saeed Akhtar Ansari, however, issued a notification, stating that a district nazim was not authorised to announce a public holiday. He claimed that only a DCO was legally authorised to announce a holiday.

The district nazim told the correspondent through telephone a district nazim was a competent authority to announce four public holidays in a district in a year.

He said the DCO had no such power and according to the Local Government Ordinance, a DCO was merely a secretary to a district nazim. He said if the DCO defied his orders, he would take action against him.

But the DCO said that he was had followed law, claiming that only a DCO was empowered to announce holidays in the district.