ISLAMABAD, March 20: The Supreme Court on Thursday reserved its judgment on a Pakistan State Oil petition challenging an order of Federal Service Tribunal for reinstatement of its 45 employees, whose services were terminated after a change of government.

The full bench of the Supreme Court comprised Chief Justice Sheikh Riaz Ahmad, Justice Mian Mohammad Ajmal and Justice Mohammad Nawaz Abbasi.

The 45 employees were recruited during the tenure of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto and were sacked after the dismissal of her government.

The chief justice observed that political appointments in various departments were routine and asked the PSO consul if such recruitment had not been done under the present or any previous government.

PSO consuls Raja Haq Nawaz and Mohammad Siddique Mirza could not provide details about the number of employees recruited on political grounds in the organization in reply to questions raised by Justice Ajmal.

The consuls also failed to answer a question of Justice Abbasi regarding the number of employees recruited on merit.

Abdul Hafeez Lakhu, Abdul Baseer Qureshi and Sheikh Riazul Haq, representing the employees, argued that the termination orders were illegal.

Mr Lakhu informed the court that services of most of the sacked employees were confirmed and they could not be removed without proper notice and charges.

The employees were reinstated by Federal Service Tribunal and the PSO had filed the petition in Supreme Court challenging the decision.—APP