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Thursday, April 18, 2013

Supreme Court strips Malik, his predecessors of privileges

Staff Report

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court has suspended the operation of Interior Ministry’s March 14 notification, which granted unlimited perks and privileges to former interior minister Rehman Malik and his predecessors.
Regarding the matter related to the unprecedented security protocol to ex-prime ministers, the court asked the attorney general of Pakistan (AGP) to file para-wise comments today (Thursday).
In view of former PM Raja Pervez Ashraf’s order extending an “unprecedented security protocol” for himself and former premier Yousaf Raza Gilani, the SC was informed that Rs 272.51 million would spend annually from public exchequer.
Hearing the suo motu case, a five-member special bench, headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, summoned the interior secretary today (Thursday) for issuing a notification regarding the protocol of the former interior minister.
The court observed that officials had failed to understand under which authority of law a protocol service was being extended to the former interior minister, as prima facie, the notification in this regard was issued without any lawful authority.
It also made it clear that the court was not against reasonable security to anyone, but protocol could not be extended to lifetime.
According to the Interior Ministry’s March 14 notification, former federal interior ministers and the federal ministers, excluding caretaker federal ministers, who had held the office when the constitution stood suspended, can benefit from facilities like protocol coverage.
According to the notification, security is to be provided by the Federal Investigation Agency to the ministers, their spouses and children at all airports of the country, while the services of a personal staff officer/assistant private secretary/personal assistant, a driver, and an orderly are all to be appointed by the National Database Regulatory Authority.
During the hearing, Advocate on Record Raja Abdul Ghafoor, appearing on behalf of the former interior minister, stated that his client was facing security threats from the Taliban; therefore he needed security.
Upon this, the bench observed that it was the responsibility of the state to secure the life and property of all citizens without any discrimination in view of Article 9 of the constitution, but in this case, a notification was issued for giving protocol service to him.
Meanwhile, the AGP could not furnish par-wise comments related to the matter of the former PM’s order for an unprecedented security protocol for himself and Yousaf Raza Gilani, as he was busy before another bench. The hearing of the case has been adjourned until today (Thursday).

Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk

 

 

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