LAHORE: Hearing a petition challenging proposed privatisation of the Pakistan International Airline, the Lahore High Court on Thursday directed the petitioner-lawyer to apprise it of the process of privatisation of a government institution.

Advocate Nabeel Javed Kahloon had filed the petition, alleging the government had decided to privatise the national flag carrier and was going to sell it to a company of its own choice. He alleged that Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, who also owned a private airline, had vested interests in PIA privatisation.

Referring to previously sold out institutions like the Pakistan Steel Mills and PTCL, Mr Kahloon argued the privatisation of government institutions had caused a great loss to the country. He prayed to the court to restrain the federal government from selling the PIA.

Justice Shahid Mobeen adjourned hearing till Jan 25.

FORM-B: The LHC reserved its verdict on a petition challenging policy of Form-B for students to appear in Class IX examinations.

A number of students had filed the petition through Advocate Sheraz Zaka, saying the requirement of Form-B was a violation of fundamental rights as it resulted in extraction of Rs2,000 from the students.

The counsel said the board authorities should be directed to inform under what law the requirement of Form-B had been imposed as there was no such law or notification. He said the requirement of the Form-B was useless and not more than a burden on the students as the birth certificates issued by the Nadra already showed students origin and nationality.

The government’s counsel opposed the petition and argued that all boards of intermediate and secondary education were empowered to devise their policies to regulate students and examinations. He asked the court to dismiss the plea.

Justice Ayesha A Malik reserved judgment.

In this case, the court had already granted interim relief to the petitioners allowing them to sit Class IX exams without Form-B.

Published in Dawn, January 19th, 2018