Rescue 1122 DG’s contract not extended, court informed

LAHORE:A provincial law officer on Friday informed the Lahore High Court that the government had not so far extended the contractual appointment of Dr Rizwan Naseer as director general of Punjab Emergency Service (Rescue 1122).

An additional advocate general stated this before the court during hearing of two petitions, first by Dr Rizwan Naseer for regularisation of his services and the other one by District Emergency Officer, Lahore Dr Ahmad Raza challenging a new contract awarded to Dr Naseer 80 days after expiry of his previous contract.

Justice Ayesha A Malik, however, expressed dismay over the law officer and observed that the government had not mentioned this point in its written comments filed to the petition of Dr Naseer. Raza’s counsel Ch Shoaib Saleem argued that the respondent had been appointed for more than five times as DG of the Rescue 1122 in past, which showed that only he could be found eligible for the post from across the province and there was no other person capable enough to run the affairs of the body. He said the last contract of the respondent expired on 16 October, 2019 after which he remained no more official and had nothing to do with the organisation. However, he said, after almost 80 days of expiry of the contract, the home department illegally extended the contract of the respondent on 6 January, 2020. Whereas, he said, a summary for extension of the respondent’s contract or reappointment was still pending with the provincial secretary services.

He said the chief minister had also ordered an inquiry into issuance of the impugned notification without approval of the summary. The law officer also endorsed this fact mentioned by the petitioner’s counsel. At this, Justice Malik reprimanded the law officer and asked him whether he was representing the government or the petitioner.

Meanwhile, Dr Naseer came to the rostrum and stated that he did not want to press his petition for regularisation of service. However, he said, the government could appoint him as director general of the emergency survives academy. The law officer said a summary had already been moved by the government to fill the post being sought by the officer. He said the government would appoint an officer meeting the criteria on merit.

Justice Malik reserved her verdict on the petition against the appointment of Dr Naseer and directed the law officer to submit the summary moved to fill the post of the academy’s director general.

The provincial government in its reply to the petition by Dr Naseer stated that the officer did not approach the court with clean hands as there were several findings against him. It said disciplinary action was underway against him as ordered by an inquiry for showing inefficiency during a fire incident in the LDA office.

The government said in a separate case, Punjab ombudsperson made judicial observations that culture of sexual harassment was prevalent in Rescue 1122 and one person had been heading the organisation for more than a decade. It said, as per another official inquiry, Dr Naseer was found guilty of biasness, maladministration, illegal recruitments, patronising delinquents of harassment.