News
Thursday, April 29, 2010
SC decision not to affect government functioning: Rahman
Daily Times Monitor
LAHORE: The Supreme Court’s decision of setting aside the promotions of 54 senior bureaucrats to grade 22 will not necessarily affect the government’s functioning, Daily Times Editor Rashed Rahman said on Wednesday.
Talking to the BBC Urdu Service, he said the discretionary powers of the prime minister were not unlimited and they must have some limits and basis.
The SC verdict did not end the prime minister’s discretionary powers, but implied that the appointments were not made on merit, he said.
“I think there is nothing wrong with the SC verdict, as it is a matter of judicial review,” he said.
To a question, Rahman said the prime minister could have submitted a logical argument in the court had he been convinced that the government could not be run without those (54) officials.
“I believe the judiciary would not have ignored such an argument by the prime minister,” he said, adding that the absence of a logical argument by the government proved that the petition challenging the promotions carried certain weight.
To another question, he said SC should keep itself away from certain matters, especially those involving the economy, because it could not do much to make the economy better.
“If the court jumps into price matters, any of its verdicts in this regard will not be implemented because it is a marketing world,” he said.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk