July 26, 2008	Saturday	Rajab 22, 1429

LAHORE, July 25: The Punjab government has terminated services of 488 officers of the Prosecution Department while the Police Department will also be purged of “black sheep” besides increasing salaries of its officials, Provincial Law Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan told a press conference at the Punjab Assembly secretariat here on Friday.

Mr Sana said those terminated from service had failed in departmental tests. They included three assistant prosecutors-general, 18 deputy prosecutors-general, 83 deputy district prosecutors and 383 assistant and public prosecutors.

He alleged former rulers gave lucrative salaries to the officers and spent Rs1.636 billion on their salaries in the last three years.

He said that the prosecutor-general was getting a Rs200,000 salary per month, additional prosecutor-general Rs150,000, deputy prosecutor-general Rs75,000 and public prosecutor Rs65,000. These officers failed to do anything for the poor, he said.

He said Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif made it clear that all these vacancies should be filled through the Punjab Public Service Commission to ensure transparency and merit in the process.

The law minister said that to eliminate “black sheep” from the judiciary the government had asked the Lahore High Court chief justice to form a committee for taking a notice of the situation.

Asked when the Pakistan Muslim League-N did not recognise present judges why it had contacted the LHC chief justice, he said that the measure was taken in the best interest of the masses.

He said the law allowing the appointment of prosecutors through pick-and-choose would also be repealed to curb nepotism.

Mr Sana said the government had increased three times allowances of judicial officers so that they live commutable in their rightful means.

He said he believed an effective judicial system could resolve many problems of the masses. The minister said the chief minister had formed a body to look into the affairs of the Police Department, to remove the corrupt from it besides increasing salaries and providing facilities to professional policemen.

The department would also be equipped with modern gadgets and if the police failed to deliver, strict action would be taken against those found responsible, he added.

About the Anti-Corruption Establishment, he said the chief minister had directed the authorities to fill all vacant vacancies besides hiring the services of private men to make the agency effective.

He said the people to be taken from the private market would be paid lucrative salaries. He said the government had zero tolerance towards corruption.

About Governor Salman Taseer’s “harsh” posture towards the PML-N, he said that as the governor was the representative of the federal government he should be impartial. He said only the federal government could comment on the governor’s performance.

About the appointment of the leader of the opposition in Punjab Assembly, Mr Sana, who is also parliamentary affairs minister, said that neither the governor nor the provincial government had the right to issue any notification for the purpose as this was the prerogative of the speaker to appoint the opposition leader.

The speaker, he added, was however looking into the matter and the issue would hopefully be resolved soon.

He said as (deposed) chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry was the “constitutional Chief Justice” he deserved more respect and privileges than the sitting PCO judges though as part of the government he had respect for the latter too.