ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court reinstated Ghulam Mahmood Dogar as the Lahore Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) days after he was suspended by the federal government.

Last week, the Federal Service Tribunal (FST) had reinstated the suspension order for Dogar.

Dogar was initially suspended by the federal government through a notification issued on November 5. It upheld the federal government’s decision to suspend Dogar on the grounds that he was unable to provide adequate security to the Punjab Governor’s House during a protest held in the wake of the attack on the PTI’s rally.

A two-judge bench, comprising Justice Ijazul Ahsan and Justice Sayyed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi heard Dogar’s appeal against the decision of the special bench of the FST that suspended him for a second time. The apex court issued a notice to the federal government on Dogar’s appeal. Abid Zuberi, appearing on behalf of Dogar, informed that his client was reinstated by the FST as CCPO after being suspended by the government for the first time, but subsequently, a two-member bench of the tribunal itself suspended the reinstatement order.

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He further said that the decision of a two-judge bench of the FST could not be suspended by another two-judge bench while the government’s review petition was also pending before the tribunal.

Justice Ijaz questioned how one bench could suspend the decision of another bench. He said the special bench, on the other hand, held that the petition was premature and stayed the order.

Justice Mazahar inquired how the Lahore High Court (LHC) said that the constitutional petition was not admissible after the LHC rejected Dogar’s request to set aside the notification concerning his suspension.

Zuberi told the court that the provincial government did not want to relieve the CCPO of his duties. The court adjourned the hearing for an indefinite period.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022