LAHORE: Lahore High Court Chief Justice Muhammad Qasim Khan on Thursday issued notices to the federal and provincial governments on a petition challenging appointment of additional chief secretary and additional inspector general of police at the ‘south Punjab sub-secretariat’.

The Lawyers Foundation for Justice filed a petition through Advocate Ahmad Abdullah Dogar, pleading that the impugned notification for the appointment of two BS-21 officers against the two posts was illegal.

The counsel submitted before the court that a bill to amend the Constitution, which would have the effect of altering the limits of a province, would not be presented to the president for assent unless passed by the assembly of the province concerned by not less than two-thirds majority of its total members.

He said the Article 239 of the Constitution defined a definite procedure for the amendments, which if not followed would render the proposed change ineffectual.

He pointed out that the territorial limits of the proposed South Punjab province or its administrative division had also not been determined so far.

Therefore, he argued, the impugned appointments had no legal basis, which needed to be set aside.

The chief justice heard the initial arguments and sought replies from the respondents by next week.

The federal law minister, Punjab governor and chief secretary have been made respondents in the petition.

Published in Dawn, July 10th, 2020