LHC Might Summon Buzdar for Contempt Case

On Tuesday, the Lahore High Court (LHC) was listening to the application of the former vice-chancellor of the University of Agriculture Faisalabad. The man was seeking to invoke contempt proceedings against the Punjab Assembly Speaker and Punjab Chief Minister. The judge, during the hearing, remarked that Usman Buzdar would be summoned by the court if no reply was received before the next hearing. 

It was Justice Sajid Mehmood Sethi, belonging to the LHC, who was listening to the plea of Dr. Iqrar Ahmed. The applicant proceeded to give details about his appointment as the vice-chancellor. He had served at the agricultural university twice between 2008 and 2016. 

The former vice-chancellor informed the court that he had applied for the position against the advertisement of the Punjab government in the year 2016. 

He further added that during that particular period, a case related to the appointment of a vice-chancellor was being dragged in court. The proceedings for the case had been ongoing for two years. 

The plea argued that Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, the Speaker of Punjab Assembly, had been appointed as the acting chancellor. In his capacity, he issued a notification to appoint Muhammad Ashraf. As per Dr. Iqrar Ahmed, this was done in violation of merit. 

Moreover, the plea also pointed out that after the ruling of the Supreme Court, the vice-chancellor should have been appointed on merit alone. 

The applicant argued that he had been at the top of the merit list. However, the CM of Punjab and other relevant officials had exercised their own authority, thus neglecting the orders of the court. He argued that the court initiate contempt proceedings against all involved, including the Punjab CM. 

The court decided to put off the case until the 12th of October, hinting that they will summon Usman Buzdar if no reply was received.