Pakistan: Sindh High Court Issues Notice to Law Officer on PTI lawmakers'' Perks Plea

Source from:  Daily Times (pk) 11/07/2014

Sindh High Court (SHC) on Wednesday issued notice to the federal law officer to reply to a petition calling for withholding the allowances, perquisite and privileges of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) legislators after their resigning from National Assembly (NA) seats.

A non-government organisation United Human Rights Commission of Pakistan approached the Court seeking its directives for NA speaker to withhold the allowances and special benefits of PTI legislators. In the petition Rana Faizul Hassan NGO's secretary general submitted the expenses of NA have crossed Rs 23 billion owing to the special benefits used by the legislators. He said 34 PTI lawmakers, including PTI chairman Imran Khan had submitted their resignations to the speaker of the NA, but their resignations have not yet been accepted.

He said according to the article 64 (A) of the Constitution whoever submits his or her resignation with signature will be accepted with immediate effect. Subsequently, he or she is not eligible to enjoy the benefits. He submitted PTI legislators were still getting allowances, perks and privileges even after resigning from their seats, which was violation of the Constitution. He pleaded to the Court to issue directives for the NA speaker to withhold all benefits of PTI legislators.

After preliminary hearing, two-judge bench issued notice the deputy attorney general to file comments on the petition by December 3. The Court also directed the petitioner, NGO's general secretary to forward the arguments regarding maintainability of the petition on the next date of hearing.

Meanwhile SHC issued notice to the authorities concerned to respond to the petition calling for effective enforcement of the anti-smoking laws. Prof Javaid Khan a consultant pulmonologist at Aga Khan University had addressed a letter to the SHC Chief Justice, requesting him to take notice of blatant violation of the anti-smoking laws.

Chief Justice Maqbool Baqar converting the letter into the constitutional petition issued notice to the relevant authorities to file their respective replies on the petition. In the letter Prof Javaid submitted tobacco use was single largest preventable cause of the diseases, disability and death in the country. Prof Javaid said federal cabinet passed Prohibition of Smoking and Protection of Non Smoker Health Law in 2002.

The law stipulates smoking was prohibited at all public places, including hotels, restaurants, cafes and restrictions were placed on the tobacco advertising as well as on the sale of tobacco to minors. Besides a resolution against smoking shisha at restaurants and public places was also passed by the Sindh Assembly in 2011.

Despite claims by the authorities in the media about control of the shisha and smoking, the law has yet to be translated into action as hundreds of the restaurants continue to propagate this heinous addiction, destroying the health of youth, he added. Prof Javaid told the judges in the countries where anti-tobacco laws were properly enforced, the smoking had declined significantly and so the diseases attributed to active and passive smoking. Therefore, he pleaded to the court take notice of awful situation and direct authorities concerned to take appropriate steps for implementation of the anti-smoking laws. Enditem