Secy summoned in MPs case

LAHORE

The Lahore High Court Justice Ali Akbar Qureshi on Friday summoned secretary local governments to submit reply in a petition challenging appointment of 12 members of the Punjab Assembly as directors of different five public sector companies.

The court has adjourned further hearing for April 17.

Opposition Leader in Punjab Assembly Mian Mehmood-ur-Rasheed had filed the petition through his counsel Advocate Sheraz Zaka. 

Appearing before the court, petitioner counsel Sheraz Zaka contended that there were several MPAs who were working as directors with different public sector companies owned by the Punjab government, including Punjab Saaf Pani Company, Lahore Transport Company, Lahore Parking Company, Punjab Agricultural and Meat Company, Lahore Waste Management Company etc. Sheraz Zaka argued that the MPAs as directors were getting perks and privileges from the companies.

He alleged that the companies were being run by taxpayers’ money. He stated MPA Ramazan Siddique Bhatti was functioning as one of the directors of Lahore Transport Company; MPAs Nasreen Nawaz, Ramzan Siddique Bhatti, and Kiran Dar were working as directors of Lahore Parking Company; MPAs Kashif Padhiar, Amanullah Khan, Qazi Adnan Fareed, Rana Baber Hussain, Ch Lal Hussain, Mahmood Qadir Khan, Qamar-ul-Islam, and Waheed Gull were working as directors of Punjab Saaf Pani Company; MPA Majid Zahoor is functioning as one of the directors of Lahore Waste Management Company; while MPA Hussain Jahania Gardezi was functioning as one of the directors of Punjab Agriculture and Meat Company.

He submitted that the five companies were incorporated under Section 42 of the Companies Ordinance 1984 and were owned by the Punjab government. These were regulated under Public Sector Companies Corporate Governance Rules 2013. He said that these MPAs were functioning as directors of five different public sector companies in violation of section 3(7) of Public Sector Companies Corporate Government Rules 2013. He said this provision says that no person having a political or legislative role could become a director of a company governed by Public Sector Companies Corporate Governance Rules 2013.

The petitioner said that these 12 were already members of Punjab Assembly and at the same time simultaneously functioning as directors of the companies controlled by the Punjab government and as such their functioning as board of directors was illegal and void.