LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Wednesday suspended the operation of a federal government’s notification in petitions filed by several officers of the Provincial Management Service (PMS) Punjab that increased share of the federal government in the provincial bureaucracy.

The petitioners challenged the existence of the Pakistan Administrative Service (PAS) and posting of its members in the provinces.

Their counsel contended that the government issued the impugned notification on March 12, 2021; through which the posts of federal officers in the provinces were further increased from 115 to 446.

He argued that the 1954 Civil Services of Pakistan (CSP) rules which were used by the federal government to post its officers on provincial posts were unconstitutional and the federal government was not entitled to post its civil servants including those belonging to the PAS on provincial posts.

He stated that the federation encroached upon the authority of the Punjab government by reserving posts in the province for officers of the PAS through the impugned rules.

He argued that the federal government could only post its civil servants for the matters that were contained on the federal legislative list and all other postings including provincial posts which could not be occupied by the federal employees.

The court after hearing their counsel at length suspended the impugned notification and sought replies from the federal and provincial governments.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021