CAA DG post: Govt barred from finalising candidate

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Wednesday restrained the federal government from finalising a candidate for the post of the director general of Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) till decision on a petition against the appointment process.

Zahoor Akbar, a joint director of CAA, objected to the advertisement published by the government for the post of director general. Petitioner’s counsel Nabeel Javed Kahloon argued that the government set 62-year as maximum age limit for the eligibility of the candidates keeping the most senior serving pilots away from the appointment process. He pointed out that retirement age for pilots in commands was 65 years, whereas, the maximum age limit for the CAA’s DG had been set 62 years. The counsel stated that according to the advertisement, a candidate having no experience of relevant field could also apply for the post, whereas, the rules of CAA said that only officers having experience of the aviation field could be appointed as head of the aviation authority.

MPA: The Lahore High Court on Wednesday disposed of a petition seeking disqualification of MPA Masroor Nawaz Jhangvi, son of Haq Nawaz Jhangvi, founder of banned Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan, and directed the Election Tribunal to revisit the representation against him.

Justice Mahmood directed the Election Tribunal to review the representation. Contempt notice: The Lahore High Court on Wednesday issued contempt notice to the chairman and recruitment manager of Pakistan International Airlines on a petition moved by a woman seeking implementation of 10 percent job quota for women in recruitment in the national carrier. Justice Farrukh Irfan Khan expressed dismay over non-submission of reply by the airline authorities. “Why the court order has not been complied with?” the judge remarked when the petitioner’s counsel showed another ad for fresh recruitment of candidates in the national airline.

“It is clear attempt which is tantamount to contempt of court,” the judge remarked. The bench directed the respondents’ counsel to come up with reply on the next hearing and put off further proceedings until April 4. On March 16, the same court had stayed till further orders the recruitment process of pilots with the PIA and had sought replies from the respondents. Komal Zafar, the woman applicant, had moved the petition and had made the Ministry of Defence, PIA chairman, Recruitment and Placement Section Organizational Development and Cabinet Secretariat Establishment Division respondents.