Government issued notice: distribution of laptops challenged in LHC

The Lahore High Court here Friday issued notice to Punjab government in a petition challenging procurement and distribution of laptops by the government. The petitioner, a television anchorperson through Barrister Syed Ali Zafar argued before the court that the laptops scheme involved public funds of more than Rs 4 billion and it was in the interest of justice and accountability that the Punjab government should give complete justification for the use of these funds.
He said the government in this case did not formulate and approve a proper policy for the scheme and failed to form a technical committee to evaluate the specifications and other technical details relating to the laptops. Ali relied on a report of Transparency International Pakistan (TIP) and various news items/articles to show the laptops were purchased without proper and valid tendering process.