Appointment of NTDC chairman: CD secretary directed to decide issue within 60 days

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court has directed the secretary cabinet division to decide matter of the alleged illegal appointment of chairman of the National Transmission & Dispatch Company (NTDC) within sixty days.

The court disposed of a petition challenging the appointment of Naveed Ismail as the NTDC chairman.

The court directed the office to send a copy of the court order and the petition along with its annexures to the secretary cabinet division, who shall treat it as a representation on behalf of the petitioner and decide the same in accordance with law, rules and policy.

Earlier the petitioner’s counsel after submitted his arguments asked the court to convert the petition into a representation and sent to the secretary cabinet division, Islamabad for consideration.

The petition stated that Ismail’s contract was terminated by the then chairman Wapda in 2013 while he was serving as the CEO of Genco Holding Company Limited (GHCL). However, it said, the respondent had been given most key portfolios at that time including the managing director of the NTDC and Pakistan Electric Power Company (Pepco).

It also alleged that the respondent was also the founder and CEO of Lumen Energia which had the management control of KarGres-1, a combined heat and power plant for Arcelor Mittal Steel, and a 300-MW power business for the Bassel Group, which showed serious conflict of interest.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022