LAHORE – The Lahore High Court office raising some objection declined to entertain the constitutional petition against Punjab Governor Salman Taseer filed to question his alleged four days absence without intimation from December 5 to 8 last.
On the petition of Noshab A Khan advocate, the office noted it could not be entertained and returned the petition.
It may be mentioned that during the vacation only those matters are taken up for hearing which need urgent attention of the court. Court sources, however, said the LHC deputy registrar (judicial) had returned the petition as not maintainable while the petitioner said the office told him to file the same after winter vacation as presently judges’ strength in the court was short and the matter was not of a nature requiring urgent hearing. The petition moved Monday, sought action by the President against the governor alleging he remained abroad during the said days without intimation to the quarters concerned and exposing his constitutional office to serious problems.
He alleged the principal secretary to the governor also ignored intimation to let the speaker Punjab Assembly officiate him during the private foreign tour of the governor. He contended the governor’s mysterious absence from his office was a violation of article 104 of the constitutional. He said under the constitution the governor can not go on a foreign visit without giving charge to speaker of the Punjab assembly.
Relying on some press reports, the petitioner alleged that the governor Punjab left Lahore on Dec 5 through flight PK-303 for Karachi and from there he flied to Colombo by Lankan Airline VL-189 the same evening. Later, the governor returned to Karachi from Sri Lanka by VL-183 on Dec 8 and reached Lahore by PK-306 in the evening, he said.
He alleged that Salman did not inform deliberately so that the acting governor could not make appointments on key post on the advice of chief minister as held by a bench of Chief Justice Lahore High Court in a recent judgment.
He prayed to the court that the said visit of the governor may be declared unconstitutional, illegal and based on malafide intentions and order may be passed for his removal.
He further prayed that order may be passed for the federation through secretary to prime minister of Pakistan to advise the president of Pakistan to remove the governor – Nation
