ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice Jawwad S. Khawaja appointed Abdur Rehman as his private secretary, replacing Mohammad Hamid Ali as secretary to the chief justice.

The chief justice appointed Rehman, previously a Grade 19 employee of the Supreme Court, as his secretary instead of borrowing government officers from the Establishment Division.

Ali, who was borrowed from the Customs and Trade Department as secretary by the former Chief Justice Tassaduq Hussain Jilliani, is currently on a course at the National Institute of Public Administration (NIPA), Lahore. He has been asked by the Supreme Court to report back to the Establishment Division for onward placement in a government department.

Ali also officiated as secretary to the commission of inquiry appointed by the federal government to investigate the allegations of malpractice in the 2013 general elections, which was headed by former Chief Justice Nasir-ul-Mulk.

Chief Justice Khawaja also turned down a request by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to avail VIP protocol and security in the wake of the current law and order situation in the country.

Published in Dawn, August 22nd, 2015

On a mobile phone? Get the Dawn Mobile App: Apple Store | Google Play