LHC cancels 548 appointments in GEPCO

[Lahore_Real_Estate]

Staff Report

LAHORE: Justice Farrukh Irfan Khan of the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Wednesday cancelled 548 appointments recently made in the Gujranwala Electric Power Company (GEPCO). The people were allegedly appointed at the behest of Minister for Water and Power Raja Pervez Ashraf.

The LHC judge observed that the impugned appointments were made in
violation of rules and regulations, and directed the authorities concerned to fill the vacancies again based strictly on merit.

The judge issued this verdict on a petition filed by Asad Mehmood Khan, a resident of Gujranwala.

The petitioner had submitted that through a media advertisement, the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) had only invited candidates from the Gujranwala division to fill vacancies in GEPCO. He said over 7,000 candidates from the division applied for different posts advertised through the media. However, none of the eligible applicants were invited for interviews and written tests, the petitioner stated.

Khan went on to allege that the respondent authorities appointed as many as 548 candidates exclusively from Ashraf’s constituency in Gujjar Khan and Rawalpindi in blatant violation of the merit policy. He said the people could not possibly be selected from the minister’s constituency since the applications had been invited only from the Gujranwala division.

Hundreds of other vacancies in the division were also being filled at the behest of the minister, the petitioner added.