Notices to President, PM in tax ombudsperson appointment case

LAHORE:The Lahore High Court on Thursday issued notices to President of Pakistan Arif Alvi, Prime Minister Imran Khan through their offices and law secretary on a petition challenging the criteria for appointment of the federal tax ombudsperson.

The petitioner, Advocate Waheed Shahzad Butt, through his counsel stated that federal ombudsman’s term has been set for four years and he/she could only be removed through the Supreme Judicial Council established under Article 209 of the constitution. However, no basic qualification or criteria has been defined in Federal Tax Ombudsperson (FTO) Ordinance 2000 for the appointment. Even a matriculate person may be appointed as ombudsperson by the president, he added.

The petitioner requested the court to issue directions to the respondents to immediately define/prescribe the basic qualification and eligibility criteria for appointment of federal ombudspersons. After hearing the initial arguments, the court issued notices to the president, prime minister through their personal secretaries and sought replies.