SC suspends LHC order on judicial allowance payment

LAHORE
A two-member bench of the Supreme Court Thursday suspended a Lahore High Court’s order issued to Punjab government about payment of withheld 50 percent judicial allowance to its employees by September 7.
The bench headed by Justice Ijaz Ahmad Chaudhry suspended the high court’s order. On behalf of the government, additional advocate general Shan Gull said the LHC passed the impugned order without hearing the government’s view. He said the government had no budgetary allocation for the judicial allowance. He pointed out that such allowance was not given to employees of any other department. He said the demand of the high court’s employees for the judicial allowance was unjustified. The law officer asked the court to set aside the impugned order.
The bench, however, suspended the order and issued notices to all parties of the case for next hearing. Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah of the LHC on July 28 had directed the government to pay the judicial allowance to the court employees.
Syed Riaz Ali Zaidi and other employees had filed a petition against the non-payment of the allowance announced by Prime Minister in 2010. Petitioners said the PM announced 50 percent increase in judicial allowance for employees of all high courts in the country. They said employees of Supreme Court and all other high courts except LHC were given the allowance along with arrears. They said five years had been lapsed but the employees of the LHC were still waiting for the arrears of the allowance despite various directions of the court.
Plea dismissed: Lahore High Court Justice Ijazul Ahsan on Thursday dismissed the petition of a stage actor, Iftikhar Ahmad, seeking a complete ban on exhibition of Indian films in Pakistan, by declaring it non-maintainable.
The judge held that the matter was related to the government policy and it could not be agitated at this forum. The judge held that the petitioner should approach the ministry concerned. Petitioner counsel Ishtiaq Ahmad Ch stated India was not inclined to spear innocent citizens. He stated the day of August 28, 2015 witnessed the bloodiest violation of ceasefire by India that left eight Pakistanis killed, 47 injured including 24 women and 11 children. He stated it was quite sad and shameful that on one hand nation was receiving dead bodies and on the other hand the Pakistani authorities were allowing promotion of Indian culture and movies through its films. He stated that the exhibition/promotion of Indian films in Pakistan is in conflict with Article 2, 28, 31 and 37 of the Constitution.
Reply sought: Lahore High Court Justice Ijazul Ahsan Thursday issued a notice to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on a petition challenging cancellation of the contract of three members of election tribunals. Ghulam Hussain Bosal, an independent candidate in 2013 general election from PP-119, Mandi Bahauddin, filed the petition through Advocate Dr Abdul Basit. The counsel argued that the ECP decided not to extend contracts of members of the tribunals of Lahore, Multan and Faisalabad after decisions of NA-122, NA-125 and NA-154. He said the ECP acted with malice as the decisions of the tribunals were against the ruling of the PML-N. He also questioned appointment of the four provincial members of the commission.