Ban on uplift schemes, recruitment: PHC issues notices to ECP to submit reply

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Tuesday issued notice to Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) directing it to submit reply in a writ petition filed against its decision of banning new development schemes and recruitment in government departments.

A two-member bench comprising Justice Qaiser Rashid Khan and Justice Muhammad Ayub Khan issued notice to ECP through its secretary. They were directed to submit reply within two days and fixed April 19 for the next hearing.

The court issued notice in the petition filed by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Minister for Prisons Malik Qasim Khan Khattak, who belongs to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), through his lawyer Barrister Waqar Khan.

In the petition, it said that the ECP issued a notification on April 11, whereby certain directions were given to the federal, provincial and local governments. “All kinds of recruitments in any Ministry, Division, Department or Institution of the Federal Government or any Department or Institution of any provincial and Local Governments is banned forthwith, except recruitments by the Federal or a Provincial Public Service Commission and those where test/interviews have already been conducted by 1st April 2018,” said the notification.

Furthermore, it said, the ECP notified that all development schemes which have been approved with effect from April 1, 2018 like installation of gas pipelines, supply of electricity, roads’ carpeting, water supply schemes etc. shall not be executed by the Federal/Provincial/Local governments’ authorities.

Moreover, it said, the federal government shall not issue tenders for such schemes till conclusion of general election.