Pilots recruitment stayed

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Friday stayed recruitment process of pilots in Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) on a petition against ignoring female applicants.

Komal Zafar, a female applicant, moved the petition saying that 10 percent quota was fixed for women in recruitment but unfortunately the quota was not being implemented in letter and spirit.

The female applicants were kept at bay from recruitment process, she said. The petitioner requested the court to order the PIA officials to recruit the pilots from the PIA in the light of the given policy.

After hearing initial arguments of the petitioner’s counsel, Justice Muhammad Farrukh Irfan Khan stayed recruitment process of the pilots and issued notice to the PIA chairman to submit reply until March 27.

Model Town case adjourned: An anti-terrorism court on Friday adjourned the hearing of Model Town private complaint case by March 22. Previously, the court had completed the attendance of 121 accused persons in this case. On February 2, 2017, Anti-Terrorism Court Judge Muhammad Azam had summoned then IG Punjab Mushtaq Sukhera, DIG operations, former DCO Lahore and 124 others to face trial in a private complaint filed by the Pakistan Awami Tehreek, alleging the persons for the murder of 14 PAT workers on June 17, 2014.

The judge directed them to appear in person. The court had summoned 124 persons. However, 121 accused persons appeared before the court except Rana Abdul Jabbar, former DIG Operations, and DSP Abdul Rahim Sherazi.

On March 3, 2016, Pakistan Awami Tehreek and Minhajul Quran had filed a private complaint in the court seeking trial of then PM, CM, Federal Ministers Saad Rafiq, Khawaja Asif and others accusing them of the murder of innocent PAT workers on June 17, 2014.