Daily Times

LAHORE: Justice Abid Aziz Sheikh of the Lahore High Court on Monday issued notices to federal and provincial governments on a petition against a pen-down strike observed by the officers of Pakistan Administrative Services (PAS) in a protest against arrest of their colleague Ahad Cheema in a housing scheme’s scam. The court ordered the government to submit replies until April 5. Advocate Humayun Faiz Rasool had filed the petition. Muhammad Azhar Siddique, counsel for the petitioner, contended that Punjab Civil Servants (Conduct) Rules, 1966 did not allow any civil servant to protest against the state or its constitutional bodies, including the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). He said that PAS officers violated Pakistan Essential Services (Maintenance) Act 1952, which forbades them to leave their workplace for a protest or agitation. He requested the court to declare the pen-down strike of the PAS officers illegal and order the government not to intervene in the affairs of the NAB. He also requested the court to order disciplinary actions against Punjab Additional Chief Secretary Umar Rasool and others, “who joined protests and closed their offices”.

Published in Daily Times, March 6^th 2018.