BHC to hear appointment of Chairman CPEC authority
Aftab Ahmed
The petitioner has challenged an appointment of Chairman CPEC General Asim Saleem Bajwa in Balochistan High Court and pleaded to restrain him from holding the office.
The government has promulgated the Ordinance to set up CPEC authority. But it has expired. The petitioner said that Bajwa was holding the office illegally after its expiry.
Balochistan High Court has admitted writ of Quowaranto against the appointment of General Asim Saleem Bajwa as Chairman CPEC Authority for a hearing and issued notice to respondents for June 3.
A division bench of the BHC led Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail heard the petition.
Pakistan Bar Council member Munir Khan Kakar had filed a petition. He has made the establishment secretary, the planning, development, and reforms ministry, the private secretary to the prime minister, and Asim Saleem Bajwa as respondents.
Meanwhile, the petitioner pleaded Asim Bajwa was illegally holding the position of the CPEC Authority chairman by availing all the perks and privileges that come with it.
He added that no ordinance or act was in place to authorize the federal government to permit him to hold the office.
Furthermore, the petitioner has challenged the status/office of chairman/chairperson China-Pakistan Economic Corridor Authority (CPEC).
The government had established the same office through Ordinance No XII of 2019 on 8-10-2019, and as provided under subclause (2) of Article 89 of the Constitution of Islamic Republic of Pakistan 1973.
However, the same ordinance has expired after 120 days, but, despite the expiry of it, the chairman CPEC is still illegally holding the office of the chairman/chairperson of CPEC by obtaining all the perks and privileges from the public exchequer,” the petition read.
Meanwhile, the petitioner further pointed out that there did not exist an act or ordinance authorizing Bajwa to hold the office of CPEC Authority chairman or authorizing to allow him to hold the office. The petitioner pleaded to restrain the Chairman CPEC from holding the said office.
