LAHORE, Oct 17: The Lahore High Court has subjected the fresh appointments of staff in grades I to IV by the Punjab government to its decision, and issued notice to the provincial chief secretary, on Friday.

The order was issued in the process of a writ petition filed by Mazhar Naqvi, a resident of Shahdara, who failed to get the job of a naib qasid, and then alleged that the high-ranking officers had been offering jobs to their favourites.

The Punjab government advertised 100 jobs in grades I to IV and received 13,500 applications in response. Mazhar was among the 600 candidates shortlisted for an interview.

The petitioner said he had cleared the interview, but the Services and General Administration Department ignored him for the job. New call letters were issued to “favourite persons” even after the appointment process was completed. He listed four such people, who were issued call letters after the process. The petitioner requested a direction to the Punjab government for his appointment as naib qasid, claiming that he had obtained sufficient marks in the interview to get a job.