LAHORE, July 11: The Lahore High Court on Friday heard preliminary arguments on a review petition against public functionaries’ luxurious way of life.

The full bench, headed by Justice Tassadaq Hussain Jilani, observed while adjourning the case that it would like to hear at length the petitioner, Pakistan Lawyers Forum president A.K. Dogar.

Mr Dogar had filed the review petition against the verdict of a division bench that dismissed his petition against the luxurious way of life of president, prime minister, governors, chief ministers and army officers.

The division bench had dismissed the petition ruling that the matter was related to lifestyle and based on personal perceptions. No constitutional or legal question had been raised in the petition, and the court did not have the jurisdiction to issue any direction to the state in a matter concerning social values, the division bench ruled.

While assailing the verdict, Mr Dogar argued that his petition was not just concerned with social values. It sought socio-economic justice for all citizens. To live in accordance with aspirations was a fundamental right of every citizen as observed by the Supreme Court in Benazir Bhutto case, he said and added, discrimination could not be allowed under official patronage.

According to the petitioner, the government was misusing the public exchequer by providing palatial houses, servants and other privileges to its high-ranking officers. He alleged that all these functionaries were living luxuriously at the expense of public exchequer, which was un-Islamic. He claimed that public office holders’ luxurious way of life was causing frustration in the society.

He also moved an application before the court to allow him to place certain newspaper clippings on the judicial record as evidence regarding the privileges being enjoyed by army officials. Quoting a news item, he claimed that President Gen Pervez Musharraf had been allotted 400 kanals of agriculture land at Nouabad, Bahawalpur, at the rate of Rs47 per kanal against the prevalent market price of Rs20,000 per kanal. Another 35,000 kanals in Bahawalpur had been distributed among 10 generals, nine lieutenant-generals, 16 major-generals, one admiral, one air-marshal, 18 brigadiers, three colonels and 47 non-commissioned army officers.

Mr Dogar further quoted another newspaper while claiming that Gen Musharraf had acquired a Rs20 million commercial plot in Defence (Lahore) for Rs100,000 only.

As far as the general public was concerned, the profit of Rs1350 on a Rs100,000 National Saving Scheme deposit had been reduced to Rs792. He pleaded that the state should ban the provision of palatial accommodation to its public functionaries as well as the lavish furnishing of their offices, since this way of life was beyond the state’s economic viability. “The court should consider the petition in its true perspective,” he maintained.