LAHORE, Sept 1: Data Gunj Bakhsh Town Nazim Khwaja Ahmad Hassaan moved the Lahore High Court on Monday for the restoration of his financial powers.

The Lahore High Court had last week restrained Khwaja Hassaan from using his financial powers on a petition filed by 30 members of the Data Gunj Bukhsh Town Council.

The members had pleaded that till the final decision of the petition filed against a no-confidence motion adopted against the town Nazim, he should not be allowed to use his financial powers.

The members’ petition is likely to be taken up on Wednesday along with Khwaja Hassaan’s petition challenging the no-confidence motion against him.

The court also issued notices to the 30 members for Wednesday on Khwaja Hassaan’s petition seeking review of the court orders through which he had been restrained from using financial powers.

Khwaja Hassaan contended that the town council staff could not be paid salaries unless he was allowed to use his financial powers.

According to the petitioner, the restraint orders were passed by the court without giving him an opportunity to defend him and were subject to a judicial review.

He pleaded that once the court had suspended the local government secretary’s notification debarring him to hold his office, he was authorized to exercise all powers as the town Nazim.

The court, while restoring him to his office, had not placed any such bar on him with regard to the use of power. Khwaja Hassaan claimed that he was still enjoying the majority of the house and did not want to cause any discomfort to his council employees by delaying their monthly salaries on technical grounds.

According to Khwaja Hassaan, his financial powers could only be withheld in case he was accused of misusing the town funds through a validly moved no-confidence motion.