Zubair Qureshi
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has dismissed a petition that challenged the appointment of well-known writer, critic and scholar of Urdu language and literature Dr Najiba Arif as Chairperson of the Pakistan Academy of Literature (PAL).
Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir of the IHC turned down the petition filed by Dr Rashid Hameed who had challenged DrNajiba’s appointment pleading the appointing authority (the PM) did not follow merit while making the appointed through the order dated 08-08-2023. In its judgment, the court has observed that the petitioner’s stance that the list of names recommended by Search & Selection Committee was not duly followed was without merit. The court also quoted the PAL Chairperson (the respondent’s) counsel who said “The petitioner has not approached the court with clean hands.”
The procedure [of appointment of PAL chairperson] provided under the Act 2013 and the Rules of 2019 has been duly followed by the committees constituted strictly in accordance with law, says the verdict. The IHC judgment goes on to say that the petitioner has not challenged the appointment, the process of appointment, qualification or eligibility of the respondent (PAL Chairperson), he has rather challenged the act of approving a candidate from the panel.
