Daily Times

The Supreme Court on Tuesday dissolved the newly formed board of the Punjab Healthcare Commission and issued contempt notices to Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmeen Rashid, the provincial chief secretary, and the secretary and additional secretary health asking why the board was formed without the apex court’s approval.

The chief justice said that Supreme Court had asked that it be provided all names suggested for the board, but that was not done.

“The board was notified without the Supreme Court’s approval,” he noted. “The respondents are directed to respond to the contempt notices within two days.”

The Supreme Court had in November dissolved the then Board of Commissioners of the Punjab Healthcare Commission (PHC) and ordered for a new board to be formed within two weeks.

Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar had summoned Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid and members of the PHC board to explain the resignation of retired Justice Amir Raza A Khan from the post of the commission’s chairperson.

The chief justice had taken strong notice of the alleged humiliation meted out to retired Justice Khan in the first meeting of the commission’s board.

The chief justice had expressed his ‘disappointment’ with Dr Rashid, saying: “We had a lot of expectations from you. What kind of people have you appointed as board members?”

He had observed that the political government would not be allowed to capture the independence of regulatory authorities.

Published in Daily Times, December 26^th 2018.