The Supreme Court on Thursday issued directives to the incumbent Principal Secretary to Prime Minister (PSPM) to submit the summaries relating to postings and transfers of 22 federal secretaries by caretaker Prime Minister in violation of court judgement in the Anita Turab case.
A 3-judge bench of the Justice Jawwad S Khawaja resumed the hearing of a contempt of court case against the interim PM and rejected his plea to withdraw contempt of court notice against him. The petition was filed by Shafqat Hussain Naghmi, a grade-22 officer of Secretariat Group and Imtiaz Inyat Elahi, Secretary CAD.
During the course of proceedings, the bench also turned down the former PS to PM Khawaja Sadique Akbar's offers to share the documentary evidence with the bench in-camera saying that now everything would be shared in an open court. It is to be noted that former PS to PM has submitted that all post-May 11 transfers and postings were made on the basis of reports and summaries received from ministries concerned, highlighting and underscoring the need for a change of incumbents either for inefficiency, incompetence or on grounds of unsuitability.
Justice Jawwad Khawaja observed that between the lines Akbar had tried to establish that all the secretaries were transferred on the basis of corruption. During the hearing, the counsel for interim PM and other two respondents Arif Chaudhry, submitted before the bench that interim PM had withdrawn transfer and posting orders of over 20 federal secretaries and that he had also expressed regret in his reply, therefore a show cause notice against him should be discharged.
To which, the bench rejecting his plea in this regard and said that it was not an apology as he was explaining something. It added that there was a conflict between the interim PM's reply and former PS to PM statement as the latter was offering in-camera proceedings for presentation of evidence and documents about these transfers. Justice Khawaja said they never contempt proceedings to maintain the respect of judiciary. He also said the petitioners had no objections if the respondent wanted to share evidence to justify their transfers in an open court.
Arif Chaudhry contented that after expressing regret and withdrawal of transfer and posting orders, there was no status of Khawaja Sadique Akbar's reply. He also requested the court to deal the contempt matter of former interim PM and secretary establishment division separately and not with the former PS to PM contempt case. The bench however rejected his plea in this regard and directed the incumbent Principal Secretary to PM to submit the summaries along with relevant record about the postings and transfers of 22 federal secretaries by interim PM. The hearing of case was adjourned till June 20.