LAHORE: The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) apprehends that the Supreme Court verdict on appointment against key government posts may make it quite easy for Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to “impose his cronies and favourites” on important state-run institutions.

The apex court on Friday last reversed former chief justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry’s judgment on the formation of a commission to ensure transparency in the appointment of heads of various statutory, autonomous and regulatory bodies.

The former CJP in June last year had directed the Nawaz Sharif government to constitute a commission to ensure that all public appointments were made on merit.

PPP Secretary-General Sardar Latif Khosa says the PML-N government may now easily misuse the apex court’s decision and appoint its “favourites” in a number of organisations which lack full-time heads.

“As the apex court has declared it the exclusive prerogative of the federal government to appoint the heads of the government departments, the government may violate merit at ease,” Mr Khosa told Dawn here on Sunday.

Seeing the past record of the government, he said it seemed it had decided not to appoint a single person on merit. The Supreme Court should take suo motu notice of such appointments and should not let the government violate merit.

Like it did in the case of Maryam Nawaz, the judiciary should act as a stumbling block to any unlawful and unmerited appointment in the government department. “The PPP proposes that the heads of the statutory, autonomous and regulatory bodies should be appointed through the Federal Public Service Commission. If the PML-N brings forth legislation in this regard, the PPP will fully support it in parliament,” he said.

Mr Khosa pointed out the government’s “non-seriousness” in introducing new legislations to empower the people. “The PML-N has only introduced the Protection of Pakistan Bill 2014, which was subsequently adopted by parliament. The government only talks about merit but practically promotes nepotism,” he said.

On the other hand, the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) has warned the government that it will move court if it appoints its favourite in any department. “There are 32 departments where the government earlier delayed the process of appointing their heads. Now if it violates merit, the PTI will challenge it in the court of law like it did in Maryam Nawaz case,” PTI Punjab General Secretary Dr Yasmin Rashid told Dawn.

Maryam Nawaz, the chairperson of Prime Minister Youth Loan Programme, had to resign following the LHC queries about her qualification to head it.

Dr Rashid said the PTI had been keeping an eye on the appointments in the government departments and would not let the government install its favourites.

The apex court while doing away with the condition of a commission observed that the federal government should “appoint the heads of the said bodies, as well as to make appointments based on merit under acts and ordinances wherein certain criteria has been laid down for such a purpose.

“Now that there are no impediments in the process of appointments to the offices in the statutory bodies and to public sector companies, they shall be filled up without the loss of time by the end of December 2014,” the court observed.

Published in Dawn, November 17th, 2014