ISLAMABAD, June 29 2006: The Supreme Court on June 28 issued notice to the Punjab administration on a petition regarding provincial government’s decision to allot plots only to the members of the Lahore Press Club. During a chamber hearing, Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry issued notice to the respondents – the Punjab government and the president Lahore Press Club (LPC).

The Supreme Court fixed the matter for regular hearing on July 5 in Lahore. Eight reporters of different newspapers had challenged LPC’s refusal to grant them membership of the club. Membership of the press club is necessary to become eligible for a plot announced by the Punjab government under the Punjab Journalists Housing Foundation Act 2004. President Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) Malik Mohammad Qayyum, representing the petitioners, told the apex court that the same petition was earlier filed before the Lahore High Court (LHC) which declined to accept it. Consequently they moved the Supreme Court against the order of the high court.

In the petition they contended that a number of persons have been given membership of the press club despite the fact that they were not working journalist while the same opportunity was denied to them in disregard to the fact that they were working in different news-papers for quite some time and one of the petitioners was in the profession for the last 35 years. Even their applications were removed from the record with mala fide intentions, they stated.

A scrutiny committee of the journalists formed under the instructions of the executive committee of the club, they stated, had also identified some 75 persons who were not journalists but were members of the club. Instead of cancelling their membership, the club executives succumbed to their pressure and maintained their membership, they said.
Source: Dawn
Date:6/29/2006