ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) will hear a petition for the disqualification of former finance minister Ishaq Dar under Article 62(1) (f) of the Constitution on February 21.
Azhar Siddiqui has filed a reference before the ECP for disqualification of Dar (proclaimed absconder) as member Senate on the basis of “defaulter” in terms of Article 63(2) read with Article 62 and 63(o) of the Constitution and the Supreme Court’s judgment in Human Rights Case No 3654 of 2018 (PLD 2019 SC 1).
The apex court in appointment of Ataul Haq Qasmi as managing director and chairman PTV has held that former ministers, Pervaiz Rashid and Ishaq Dar, and former principal secretary to the Prime Minister Fawad Hassan Fawad are responsible for Qasmi’s appointment, and ordered to recover the financial benefits from them.
The court declared Qasmi as a “beneficiary of illegal acts and said Pervaiz Rashid and Ishaq Dar are guilty of “[ignoring] the law and disregarded their duty to confer benefits on Qasmi”, while Fawad is guilty of his “failure to act with due diligence in processing the summary for appointment of the Director of PTV from a person-specific recommendation, as opposed to a panel of three names.”
The SC judgment says, over Rs190 million were spent in the form of salaries and perks granted to Qasmi.
Ordering that the amount spent on the former MD and chairman of PTV be returned by those involved in the illegal appointment, the bench said, “Qasmi will pay 50 percent of the amount, while the former ministers Pervaiz Rasheed and Ishaq Dar will pay 20 percent each and the former principal secretary to the premier will have to submit 10 percent of the Rs190.78 million.”
“Qasmi’s attitude was unacceptable and he should not be appointed on any such post in the future,” the judgment further said.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2022
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