GUJRAT: The Lahore High Court (LHC) has stopped the implementation of Punjab government’s notification of suspending the division status of Gujrat, creation of Wazirabad district and seven new tehsils.

The caretaker government had earlier on Feb 16 suspended the notification of former chief minister Chaudhry Parvez Elahi’s government of creating a new administrative division of Gujrat, upgrade of Wazirabad as district and seven new tehsils including Jalalpur Jattan and Kunjah in Gujrat district, Alipur Chatha in Wazirabad and others.

Noman Akbar Warraich, a PML-Q-backed chairman of Gujrat district overseas Pakistani commission, Advocate Akhlaq Haider Chatha of Wazirabad and several other petitioners had challenged the caretaker government’s notification in the high court.

Justice Shahid Kareem of LHC on Tuesday issued a stay order against the notification and issued notices to the Board of Revenue and other concerned authorities in the provincial government.

The petitioners were represented by senior lawyers Salman Qazi, Ziaullah Ranjha and others.

The lawyers argued in the court that the decision to create Gujrat division, Wazirabad district and seven tehsils had been made by the approval of provincial cabinet of an elected government whereas the caretaker set-up did not have the authority to suspend or reverse the said notifications since it had been mandated to look after day-to-day affairs until the next elections.

They prayed that the notification of suspending the administrative set-ups should be declared as illegal.

The coalition government of PML-Q and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf had created Gujrat division through a notification issued in August the last and initially Gujrat, Mandi Bahauddin and Hafizabad districts were made part of it; however a few weeks later the government had given a district status to Wazirabad and also included it into Gujrat division.

In the recent reshuffle of provincial bureaucracy, the caretaker government did not appoint the commissioner and regional police officer in Gujrat division after transfer of already posted officers as the additional charge of Gujrat division had initially been handed over to the Gujranwala commissioner and RPO.

Moreover, the additional charge of Wazirabad deputy commissioner and district police officer had also been given to Gujranwala DC and DPO prior to the issuance of the notification of suspending the district status.

Published in Dawn, February 22nd, 2023