Pakistan urges increased UNGA role in UN chief' s appointment

UNITED NATIONS: Pakistan has called for enhancing the General Assembly's role in the selection and appointment of the United Nations secretary general saying that the world's top diplomat should have the confidence and support of all member states.

The position and the wide ranging role and responsibilities of the secretary general as statesman top diplomat advocate and chief administrative officer are important for the entire UN membership not just the Security Council... Ambassador Masood Khan told a UN panel on Friday while advocating improved coordination between the Assembly and the Council.

A candidate for Secretary general is picked in secret by the Security Council and then recommended for approval by the General Assembly. But each of the five big powers in the council Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States can veto a candidate killing his or her chances of going before the Assembly.

Speaking in a meeting of the Ad hoc Working Group on the Revitalization of the Work of the General Assembly, Masood Khan Pakistan's permanent representative to the UN underscored the need for evolving consensus in the process of UN chief's appointment requiring inclusiveness transparency and interaction.

The General Assembly should not be there to rubber stamp a decision already taken, the Pakistani envoy said, while speaking in a debate on Role and Responsibility of the General Assembly in the Appointment of the Secretary General.

Apparently the recommendation by the Security Council is not exclusive but well established practice would belie that interpretation he said. The challenge is to ensure that the recommendation and the appointment are not isolated acts but part of a process which is underpinned by participation and ownership of both the principal organs and of all member states. In fact he expressed the view that neither the recommendation nor the appointment can or should be made without proper consultation and interaction. This would require increased cooperation and coordination between the Assembly and the Council.

Referring to an Assembly resolution proposing sufficient time for interaction of candidates for the post of UN chief with member states Masood Khan said We can take a start by putting this provision into practice ahead of the next appointment of the Secretary General. In this context Masood Khan added.

The process of consideration of the candidatures by the Security Council should be guided and informed by this prior interaction and sense of the house in the General Assembly. A recommendation emanating from such a process and the appointment by the Assembly on that basis would have fulfilled the requirement of inclusiveness and ownership while also accomplishing this task with consensus and acclamation which is the desired and the best way of doing it.

Government’s credibility questioned on HEC chief’s appointment

 

ISLAMABAD: After informing the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday that Dr Mukhtar Ahmad was not eligible to become the HEC chairman and the prime minister had turned down a summary containing his name, Nawaz Sharif has now appointed Dr Mukhtar as the HEC chief. Though the court had given 15 days to the government to complete the process, this has been done the very next day. Thus the PML-N government continues with its practice of making controversial appointments.
A search committee headed by Federal Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal had finalised three names for the statutory post of the HEC chairman, which included Dr Mukhtar Ahmad, HEC ED, Dr Najma Najam, VC Karakoram University, Gilgit, and Dr Niaz Ahmad, VC Textile University, Faisalabad.

Federal Secretary for Education, Training and Standards in Higher Education Muhammad Ahsan Raja appeared before the IHC on Monday and informed the court that the prime minister had rejected the summary sent by a committee headed by Ahsan Iqbal on the grounds that the persons nominated were not eligible or appropriate for the position.

He also informed the court that the prime minister had constituted another search committee, which would be headed by Khawaja Asif. The court gave the government 15 days to appoint the new HEC chairman after showing its annoyance over the delay. It was obvious that the IHC ordered the government to appoint the chairman by following a laid down criteria. The new search committee had issued a notification to re-interview all the candidates on April 17, 2014.

While the candidates were waiting for their interviews, suddenly the government appointed Dr Mukhtar as the HEC chairman while he was facing cases on his dual degrees taken in the same year and his title of ‘professor’.

The IHC has issued notices simply three days before the case against Dr Mukhtar’s obtaining two degrees in the year 1995, one of PhD Botany and the other of Masters in Business Administration, is heard.

This implies that two or three years before 1995, Dr Mukhtar was studying for both the degrees of PhD and MBA, which is illegal. On the basis of similar reasons, the earlier summary was dropped.

In the reports already published, an HEC spokesman had rejected all the charges against Dr Mukhtar. He said Dr Mukhtar was a very competent person and fulfilled the criteria for the HEC chairman. Some vested interests, he said, launched a vilification campaign against Dr Mukhtar, who is an honest person and an asset for the HEC.

Appointments made by the government are being questioned from the very first day. Either these are top appointments of sports boards or top positions in government departments, organisations, corporations, accountability institutions and big profit earning bodies, the decisions made by the government are being questioned. However, a government official while talking to The News insisted that the premier, under the rules, had full powers to reject the earlier summary for the appointment of the HEC chief and now under the same rules he enjoyed full powers to accept the same summary.

But the question is not of powers of the prime minister but the credibility, eligibility and suitability of all these appointments and the latest appointment has become a classic case as the government has itself informed a superior court that an earlier summary was turned down for the reasons that those nominated did not fulfil the criteria and were not eligible. Dr Mukhtar Ahmad switched his cell off on Tuesday and was not available for his version.

PM approves appointment of Mukhtar as Chairman HEC

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has approved appointment of Mukhtar Ahmed as chairman High Education Commission (HEC), Geo News reported.

Meanwhile, PM Nawaz has appointed Pervez Saeed as Managing Director (MD) House Building Finance Corporation.

Issue appointment notification of Sindh IG in 7 days: SC

KARACHI: The Supreme Court on Friday ordered the federal government to appoint a permanent Inspector General of Police for Sindh and submit a compliance report within a week.

A three-judge bench of the apex court headed by the Chief Justice of Pakistan, Tasadduq Hussain Jilani, and comprising of Justice Khilji Arif Hussain and Justice Amir Hani Muslim heard the Karachi law and order case at the Karachi Registry.

During proceedings on Friday, the Chief Justice remarked that it was regrettable to see the federal and government had differences over such an important issue.

The Sindh Advocate General informed the bench that the Punjab IG was appointed in accordance with the wishes of the province’s chief minister adding that none of the three officers suggested by the federation could maintain peace in the province.

Justice Amir Hani Muslim questioned, what the Advocate General was talking about, and demanded that one name be proposed who could maintain peace in the province adding that the court would recommend the name to the federation for appointment.

SC issues notices to Chairman PTI, AG over appointment of Chairman NAB

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Thursday issued notices to Chairman Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Imran Khan and the Attorney General over Imran's petition against the appointment of Chairman National Accountability Bureau (NAB).
The three-member bench of the apex court, headed by Chief Justice Tassaduq Hussain Jillani, comprising Justice Khilji Arif Hussain and Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed, resumed hearing of the case pertaining to Syed Mahmood Akhtar Naqvi and Imran Khan's petitions against appointment of Chaudhry Qamar Zaman as Chairman NAB.
During the course of proceedings, Leader of Opposition in National Assembly Syed Khursheed Shah also filed an application through his counsel Chaudhry Aitzaz Ahsan to become party in the case.
Aitzaz Ahsan said that the point raised by Chairman PTI against the appointment of Chairman NAB was not correct and argued that Chairman NAB's appointmrnt was in accordance with the Constitution and law.
Chairman NAB's appointment was done after consultation with the Leader of Opposition and other parties and all legal requirements were fulfilled and there was not any legal justification to dismiss him, he added.
He further said that Chairman PTI's allegations has nothing to do with the reality and facts.
The court accepted the application to become party and issued notices to Chairman PTI and Attorneuy General for Pakistan and adjourned the hearing till March 27.-

Court security: Early appointment of prosecutor general urged

The office has been vacant for the last 5 months. PHOTO:FILE 

LAHORE:  Lahore High Court Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial on Thursday took notice of the vacant office of the Punjab prosecutor general and directed the government to fill the vacancy by March 13.

He was heading a special division bench hearing a petition questioning inadequate security measures for courts.
Additional Prosecutor General Mazhar Sher Awan told the court that the office of the Punjab prosecutor general had been lying vacant for the last five months.
“I wonder how the Prosecution Department has been functioning without a head,” the chief justice remarked.
He said the court would pass an order in this regard if the government failed to appoint the prosecutor general by the next hearing.
The judge directed the additional prosecutor general to submit a progress report about implementation of the memorandum of understanding signed between the Police and the Prosecution Departments.