From Abid Usman
LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) has issued an ultimatum to the Punjab government regarding the appointment of judges.
Chief Justice Shehzad Ahmed Khan presided over a hearing on the Punjab government’s petition to transfer cases from LHC’s anti-terrorism court 1 Rawalpindi to another court. During the proceedings, the advocate general Punjab informed the court that a government committee had consulted the Punjab chief minister on the matter of judges’ appointment, assuring that it had been prioritised for the upcoming cabinet session.
However, Chief Justice Khan inquired about the timeline for the next cabinet session, expressing dissatisfaction with the absence of immediate action. The chief justice ruled that either a special cabinet meeting should have been called or the government committee should have appeared before the court after completing its task.
In response, the advocate general assured that the matter would be resolved in the cabinet session scheduled for Friday.
Expressing dismay over the absence of the government committee in court, Chief Justice Khan deemed it disrespectful.
The advocate general promptly promised the committee’s presence within half an hour upon receiving the court’s call order.
Consequently, the court directed the Punjab chief minister and the cabinet to issue a notification regarding judges’ appointment before the next hearing.
The court also warned that if the notification was not issued by then, the Punjab chief minister would be required to appear in the next hearing.
Addressing any potential concerns, the advocate general clarified that the government had no objections to the names recommended by the court for judges’ appointment.
Consequently, the case hearing has been adjourned until May 24.
