Lahore High Court stays lecturers’ appointments

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court Wednesday stayed the process for the recruitment of lecturers by the Punjab Public Service Commission (PPSC) on a petition against non-allocation of the job quota for the transgender community.

Fayazullah, a transgender person, filed the petition and pleaded through a counsel that the PPSC rejected his application for the examination being held to appoint Urdu lecturers. The counsel said the Commission took a plea that only male or female candidates could apply for the jobs and there was no provision to entertain the members of the transgender community. He said the policy of the government was discriminatory in nature and contrary to the fundamental rights of the citizens. He further argued that the impugned policy was also in violation of Transgender Protection Act 2018. The counsel asked the court to set aside the discriminatory policy of the government and direct the PPSC to allocate job quota for the transgender community. After hearing initial arguments, Justice Faisal Zaman Khan directed a provincial law officer to file parawise comments on behalf of the government within 15 days. The judge said the impugned recruitment process shall remain stayed.

Meanwhile, Lahore High Court Chief Justice Muhammad Qasim Khan allowed time to a government law officer to submit record of the intelligence reports against human rights activist Ammar Ali Jan. The chief justice was hearing a petition Wednesday of Jan against his detention order issued by a deputy commissioner. The detention was previously suspended by the court. Additional Advocate General Abdul Aziz Awan opposed the maintainability of the petition and said the petitioner did not approach a review before the DC, before moving the court. He said the detention order was issued in the light of intelligence reports prepared by the law-enforcement agencies.

The law officer, however, sought time to furnish the reports and the chief justice adjourned hearing till February 3. Jan, also president of Haqooq-i-Khalq Movement, had led a “student solidarity march” on The Mall when his detention order was issued.