PHC seeks registrar’s reply in petition against plaques of schemes

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Thursday put on notice its own registrar for submission of reply in a writ petition seeking an order of the court to ban plaques inscribed with the names of the chief minister, chief justice and ministers during inauguration or completion of development schemes that are done with the funds of the provincial exchequer or foreign loans and funds.
A two-member bench comprising Chief Justice Yahya Afridi and Justice Ijaz Anwar issued the notice to registrar of the high court to submit reply in the petition.
The bench was hearing the writ petition filed by senior lawyer Muhammad Khursheed Khan, who sought order of the court to issue directions to the provincial government and registrar PHC not to use the name of the government functionaries and chief justice of high court on the plaques of development schemes. During hearing, the lawyer submitted before the bench that the chief secretary and home secretary Khyber Pakhtunkhwa submitted their reply in the petition but that of the PHC registrar is awaited. The court asked Khalid Rehman, who was representing the registrar in the case, to ensure submission of reply before next hearing in the petition. The petitioner stated that as per his information every child in the country after his birth came under the debt of Rs125,000.
He stated that successive rulers were taking loans from international donors for welfare of the people. Unfortunately, he submitted that the people were deprived of clean drinking water, pure food, electricity, natural gas, free treatment and education that are their basic fundamental rights under the law and Constitution of the country.
He stated that the government functionaries are getting huge commission from the loans given by foreigners and a small amount remained for work on projects. He pointed out that despite all this the government functionaries installed plaques inscribed with their names during inauguration or completion of the schemes.
He pointed out that the issue of naming the government schemes has come to the level that now the ministers and parliamentarians used their names or that of their parties on newly installed electricity transformers and also tube-wells and drains built with public money.
The petitioner submitted that during by-election the ruling parties provide transformers and electricity poles to the constituency but these go missing in case of a loss in the polls. He claimed that in this way the people are being deceived by the clever government functionaries.
The petitioner also stated that the former chief justices of PHC had also installed plaques with their names on the development schemes and courtrooms or judicial complexes. In the past, he said people knew about Court No 1 or Court No 2, but nowadays the courtrooms carry the judges’ names in large-size nameplates.
In its reply, the provincial government’s reply stated that the petitioner had no locus standi to file the petition.
Its reply, whose copy is available with The News, instead of explaining and answering the questions highighted in the petition, discussed the matter of barricades in the city. It stated that the barricades had been erected by the Pakistan Army, Frontier Corps and KP Police due to the critical law and order situation and such measures were needed to provide security to citizens. It maintained that allegations made in the petition aimed at maligning the government.
“General allegations of corruption against politicians have been levelled. If the petitioner has some courage, he may file a complaint against those corrupt politicians in the National Accountability Bureau or file a reference to the provincial Anti-Corruption Establishment Department,” the reply stated.