Daily Times

LAHORE: Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar on Saturday ordered the removal of Punjab University Vice Chancellor (VC) Dr Zakaria Zakar.

The two-member bench, headed by the CJP, was hearing a case pertaining to the provincial government’s takeover of two kanals of the varsity’s land earlier this year.

The chief justice ordered authorities to appoint the senior most professor of the university as the interim VC.

Dr Zakar was appointed PU’s provisional VC by the Punjab government in January this year after Dr Zaffar Mueen Nasar resigned citing “unavoidable circumstances”.

Nasar had opposed the provincial government’s demands to hand over two kanals to a religious party for constructing a seminary.

According to the university calendar, the senior most professor should be appointed acting VC. Professor Taqi Zahid Butt is the senior most professor but he was not chosen for the role, and Dr Zakar was appointed instead. It is not yet clear if Professor Butt will replace Zakar on CJP’s orders.

Justice Nisar had taken a suo motu notice of the matter at the request of a professor from the Punjab University Law College and was hearing the case at the Supreme Court’s Lahore registry.

He expressed anger at authorities’ apparent failure to “appoint a permanent VC in over two years” as well as the syndicate’s agreement to hand over the varsity’s property to the authorities.

“It has been proven that a permanent VC is not being appointed so that the government’s demands – whether legal or illegal – can be fulfilled,” Justice Nisar said. He also summoned PU syndicate’s members who had allegedly agreed to government’s demands for university land to demand an explanation.

The Punjab government had asked the university to give up its Old Campus sports ground to a religious party to build a seminary in compensation for the land acquired by the authorities near Chauburji for the Orange Line Train project.

CM’s ex-secretary appointment

The CJP on Saturday took suo motu notice of the appointment of former secretary of Punjab chief minister Dr Syed Taquir Shah to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and summoned Dr Shah to appear before the Supreme Court.

The top judge also sought the record pertaining to the appointment of Dr Shah.

During the proceedings, the top judge asked Khawaja Salman Rafique, who serves as Punjab minister for specialised healthcare and medical education, as to why his face had turned pale over the suo motu notice.

“We are told that we are interfering… now let’s see how transparent this appointment was,” the CJP added. Tauqir Shah was reportedly removed from the post of CM Punjab’s principal secretary after the Model Town incident. Soon after, the federal government had approved his appointed as WTO ambassador.

The decision was opposed by Federal Secretary for Trade Arbab Shahzad but the summary for appointment was still forwarded.

Sources suggest that an officer from commerce and trade group should have been given preference for the post as per trade laws and agreed, adding that a special concession was given and a Grade 20 officer was appointed instead of Grade 21 or Grade 22 officers.

Smog Commission report

While hearing a case at the Supreme Court’s Lahore Registry on Saturday, the CJP remarked that further delay in smog case would not be tolerated, and sought the smog commission report to be presented before the court on June 9.

Smog Commission chairperson Dr Parvez Hassan also appeared before the court, along with petitioners and officials of Punjab’s environment department.

The Lahore High Court had constituted the Smog Commission on January 5 to look into the cause of smog and implement environmental laws to prevent its effects.

The court remarked that order pertaining to combining all smog petitions would be given once the report is presented.

Meanwhile, resuming the hearing of the suo motu notice taken of pollution emitting from a chemical factory in Sargodha, the court directed the sample of chemical waste to be sent to PCSI and Punjab laboratories for testing.

Moreover, the court also summoned the Environmental Protection Agency Secretary Captain (r) Saif Anjum. When asked about the steps taken by the environment department to curb pollution, the secretary shared that a committee had been formed to investigate the issue and a six-bed dispensary had been made in the area. “The committee will go to the site and attain samples on April 23, he informed the court.”

Suo motu notice on hospitals

In another suo motu, the court adjourned the hearing for a week to give time for gathering suggestions and ideas on how to improve the current state of hospitals.

During the hearing of the case pertaining to quack doctors and action against them, some fake doctors managed to enter court premises.

The top judge expressed frustration and hinted at locking all of them up and ordered them to leave the court. “People who play with the lives of other people were not deserving of any leniency,” he added.

Separately, the top judge expressed happiness over the doctors’ report regarding the suo motu notice taken of the poultry feed. The chicken meat and the poultry feed was deemed fit to be consumed and not harmful.

According to the report, the meat was not harmful for consumption and that germs found in the chicken claws were a norm. The CJP told Faisal Masood that the court was grateful to him for preparing the comprehensive report by going to every shop and store and wrapping the matter up at the earliest. While wrapping up the proceedings in the suo moto case, the court said, in its remarks, it was a good thing that issues were resolved in a suo motu case and hoped that the people from the Railways Department wouldn’t mind that the courts were interfering in their affairs.

Published in Daily Times, April 22^nd 2018.