ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Thursday expressed displeasure over government’s ad hocism and nepotism while hearing a case pertaining to load shedding and power tariff.
A three-judge bench of the apex court headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry was hearing the case taken up after a suo motu notice on rampant load shedding in the country.
During today’s hearing, the petitioner told the bench that Khawaja Naeem is the relative of Federal Minister for Water and Power Khawaja Muhammad Asif and is working as acting chairman of National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA), and not as a permanent chairman of the institution responsible for regulating electricity in Pakistan.
The revelation drew the anger of the chief justice and in his remarks he said “it’s understandable why state institutions are being run on ad hocism. The Attorney General of Pakistan must respond on it. If everything is to be run by the court then what the government is meant for?”
“How an acting NEPRA chief can take decisions?” the chief justice raised questioned authority of an acting NEPRA chairman.
The chief justice further said that the tradition of favoritism in high-level appointments is still alive. “Everything is being run through nepotism.”
Meanwhile, Justice Jawwad S Khawaja said that the chairmen of Pakistan International Airlines and Pakistan Telecommunication Authority are also on ad hoc basis.
The counsel for NEPRA, Rashidain Kasuri, told the bench that interviews were being held for a new NEPRA chairman’s appointment. At which the court sought a report on appointment of permanent chairmen since 1997 to date.
