Islamabad:
A constitutional bench (CB) of the Supreme Court published on Monday an opinion to the Federation on a request filed against the induction of armed forces officers in the civil bureaucracy without any written exam.
A CB of five members led by Judge Amicin Khan took over a petition laid by Ali Azeem Afridi.
During the hearing, the lawyer argued that civil candidates wishing to join the central higher services (CSS) are mandated to pass a written exam and an interview. However, officers of the armed forces are exempt from the written exam.
When judge Ali Baqar Najafi, member of the bench, asked the Council that his fundamental rights was violated by this provision, he replied that this provision was discriminatory.
The CB issued an opinion to the Federation under article 3 of the rules of civil services, 1956 and postponed the case for three weeks.
The CSS refers to the elite public service in Pakistan through which bureaucrats and government officers are recruited in various federal departments and ministries.
Led by the Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC), the objective of the CSS exam is to recruit agents for 17th year positions in various services of the federal government. This examination includes written tests of compulsory and optional subjects, psychological evaluation and a Viva Voce or maintenance.
The bench, while hearing a petition concerning the inclusion of the education of life skills in schools, summoned the federal and provincial secretaries of education.
J. Muhammad Ali Mazhar pointed out that the presence of all secretaries would help develop a joint strategy.
The additional prosecutor general informed the court that life skills teaching is already taught in Islamabad schools. Judge Mazhar stressed that all the provinces were to formulate a policy in coordination with the federal government.
Salman Akram Raja stressed that Punjab and the Federal Government submitted their answers, but copies were not provided to them. The court expressed dissatisfaction with the absence of the representative of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The court ordered that copies of all provincial responses be shared with the petitioner council and postponed the hearing for an indefinite period.
During the hearing of an appeal linked to the appointment of vice-chancellors in universities, judge Mazhar asked whether the rector and president of the International Islamabad University of Islamabad had been appointed.
The lawyer replied that the rector had not been permanently appointed and currently has an accusation as an actor. The University’s lawyer informed the court that the president of the international Islamic university had been appointed but that he has not yet taken care of because of his being in Saudi Arabia.
