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Islamabad High Court remove capital’s mayor Sheikh Ansar Aziz as CDA Chairman
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Islamabad mayor Sheikh Ansar Aziz has been removed from the chairmanship and executive member of the Capital Development Authority (CDA).
Justice Athar Minallah of the Islamabad High Court made the decision after concluding several petitions filed by citizens of the federal capital against the mayor’s appointment as the executive member and then chairman of the CDA.
Justice Athar Minallah in his judgment suspended the notification of Aziz’s appointment as the executive member of the authority, following which he was given the ‘part-time’ charge of the CDA supremo.
“The Federal Government is further directed to complete the selection process and appoints a Chairman for a fixed period of five years from amongst the Members who have been appointed in accordance with the principles and law highlighted in this judgment,” the judgment read.
Islamabad High Court directed the federal government to immediately initiate the process for selecting an eligible person to be appointed the CDA board member according to the CDA Ordinance 1960.
High Court’s detailed judgment said that federal government, Parliament and other organs of the state to ensure that the people of Pakistan have a capital, which should be made an example of rule of law and a reflection of the vision of the founding planners. So the first step in this direction is to ensure the autonomy of the CDA and to appoint the “best of the best” on merit and according to the intent of the legislature as members of the board.
Moreover, the court has also given forty-five days deadline to the federal government for the process to be completed.
Earlier in September 2016, petitioner had contended that the CDA chairman should be an independent, impartial, professional and a-political person, while Sheikh Ansar Aziz is an elected mayor of the Islamabad Metropolitan Corporation since February 2016.
In last week, another appointment made federal government was declared illegal, when Lahore High Court (LHC) declared the notification of Absar Alam’s appointment as Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) chairman as void, and removed him from the position.