KARACHI: The Sindh High Court on Tuesday appointed a court official to inspect the Jinnah International Airport with a view to ascertain whether the first aid and emergency facilities were available there in accordance with the standards prescribed by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).

A two-judge bench headed by Justice Mohammad Ali Mazhar appointed court’s nazir as the commissioner and directed him to file his report within the next two weeks.

The bench was seized with a petition claiming that such facilities were not available at the airport. The counsel for the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), one of the respondents in the petition, however, submitted in court that various facilities as per the ICAO standards were available at the airport.

The bench appointed the commissioner on such request made by both sides.

It directed that representatives of the petitioners must also be given access to the airport area after proper security clearance, adding that Dr Anil Kumar of the CAA would assist the nazir and facilitate the inspection.

PMDC employees’ plea

The same bench issued notices to the federal law ministry, Pakistan Medical Commission (PMC), attorney general of Pakistan and others for Nov 15 on a petition filed by some employees of the dissolved Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) against termination of their services without payment of their salaries.

The petitioners challenged the recently promulgated Pakistan Medical Commission Ordinance’s Section 49 that states: “Whereas all the employees and officers whether permanent, regular or contractual of PMDC shall cease to be employees of the council upon promulgation of this ordinance”.

The petitioners’ counsel submitted that no termination letters or notices were issued to them and their due salaries were also not paid. The counsel also sought court’s order restraining the authorities concerned from making any appointments in the commission till the next date of hearing.

However, a lawyer who undertook to represent the PMC, argued that Section 51 of the ordinance pertained to the transitory period under which the federal government was supposed to provide officers on deputation for a period not exceeding 90 days on the council’s request to assist in the operations of the commission.

Published in Dawn, November 6th, 2019