LAHORE: Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar on Saturday lambasted the Punjab government for running most of the province’s affairs by establishing public companies and summoned complete record of the salary structure of the officers heading such companies.

“It seems that the whole province has been outsourced,” the chief justice observed, adding that the taxpayers’ money had been used for unfair distribution.

A two-judge Supreme Court bench was hearing a suo motu notice of appointment of a retired officer as head of Strategic Management and Internal Policy Unit on a salary package much higher than even the salary being drawn by Punjab chief secretary.

The chief justice said the appointment of retired officers against huge salaries to run the public sector companies proved that the government’s departments had failed to deliver.

When asked about his salary, Chief Secretary Zahid Saeed told the court that he had been drawing around Rs200,000 as salary.

Chief Justice Nisar lamented that the top boss of the provincial bureaucracy was getting a salary much lower than a retired officer reappointed for a public company.

“Who is behind this policy?” he asked the chief secretary and put the advocate general of Punjab on notice to submit a reply on the government’s behalf in defence of this discriminatory policy.

The CJP also directed the chief secretary to give the court a comprehensive presentation on the functioning of all the 56 public sector companies in Punjab and the salary structure of the officers appointed for them.

He observed that the retired officers should volunteer their services for the betterment of the system rather than accepting high-salary jobs.

The chief justice also directed the Punjab Drug Testing Laboratory to clear its backlog within 15 days and submit a compliance report.

AIR POLLUTION: The chief justice on Saturday summoned members of a commission formed by the Lahore High Court on the issue of smog and environmental pollution.

Earlier, Environment Secretary Saif Anjum presented his reports before a two-judge bench of the Supreme Court about causes of air pollution and steps being taken to control it. He said 50 per cent of pollution could be minimised within next five years by taking certain steps.

The secretary stated that a commission headed by Prof Dr Pervez Hassan formed by the LHC was about to finalise its recommendations on the solution to the environmental pollution.

The chief justice adjourned hearing and directed the commission members to appear before the court.

Published in Dawn, March 25th, 2018