PESHAWAR: A Supreme Court of Pakistan bench headed by Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar here on Wednesday directed the future provincial government coming into power after the 2018 general elections to adhere to a comprehensive plan recently prepared by experts for management of industrial affluent in the province.

The bench, whose other member was Justice Mushir Alam, observed that industrial wastes and affluent were mostly dumped in canals and rivers, which were onward also consumed by human beings.

The chief justice had earlier taken suo moto notice of the issue and directed Chief Secretary Mohammad Azam Khan to submit a report in that regard. The chief secretary submitted a report while fully agreeing with the assertions of the chief justice.

Official says situation will improve within three to five years

The chief secretary stated that they prepared a development plan, which would take three to five years for improving the situation and would require a sum of Rs23 billion. He said that in past attention was not given to the issue.

The chief justice inquired as to who was responsible for that state of affairs as such an important issue was ignored. The bench inquired as to what was the PTI government doing there during the last five years.

The chief secretary said that those, who allocated funds, were responsible for it including the legislators. He said that he would not criticise the outgoing government as they were no longer in power. He added that he was blunt enough to point out such issues to the then government.

He said that according to the plan, several important steps would be taken including setting up industrial waste management units and rehabilitation of canals and rivers.

The bench ordered that the new government should strictly adhere to that plan and if possible should further improve it.

MEDICAL COLLEGES: The court directed all the private medical colleges to return the excessive fee they had received from students in the name of donations and also ordered management of Al-Razi Medical College Peshawar to provide the relevant record and details to an inspection team of FIA within three weeks failing which a case would be registered against it.

An official of the FIA submitted a report and informed the bench that they had visited around 95 private medical colleges in accordance with the order of the court and detected certain anomalies in several of those colleges.

In Peshawar, he said, the standard of Rehman Medical College and Peshawar Medical College was up to the mark. He added that the management of Al-Razi Medical College concealed record from the team.

Several students of the said college turned up and requested the bench to adjust them in other colleges so as to save their future.

The chief justice observed that he would personally preside over next meeting of PMDC and that issue would also be discussed in it.

SUMMONED: The bench summoned the hospital director and dean of Hayatabad Medcial Complex on next hearing in a case related to an impersonator posing as a doctor and functioning in the hospital.

While the bench was hearing different cases, its attention was drawn to the case of Qudratullah, who was arrested last year on charges of impersonation. The bench observed that earlier they were informed that the then chief minister Pervez Khattak had issued orders for closing the said case.

Health Secretary Abid Majeed stated that he had submitted the report given by the management of the said hospital. He said that the hospital was a medical teaching institution and the relevant officials could explain their position.

Published in Dawn, June 7th, 2018