Govt has failed to provide relief to masses: LHC

LAHORE: Justice Muhammad Ameer Bhatti of the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Wednesday expressed displeasure over chaotic situation in the country and remarked that the government has failed to provide any relief to the masses.

He was hearing a case against non-payment of dues to contractors related to roads construction. Justice Bhatti criticised the incumbent government for inflation and hike in petroleum prices. People are not getting any relief, he said.

He said the government is seeking loans worth billions of rupees from leaders of different countries after inviting them to Pakistan, but no one knows where the money is going. He stated that the price of dollar is increasing rapidly despite these loans and the government is doing nothing.

He observed that the government is apparently committing fraud with the contractors and the court will not tolerate it. A similar system was in operation earlier as well, but the situation had never become so uncertain, the justice added.

BISP: The Lahore High Court on Wednesday disposed of a petition challenging the possible change of the name of Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), a poverty alleviation programme named after assassinated former Prime Minister of Pakistan Benazir Bhutto.

Justice Muhammad Ameer Bhatti took up the petition and observed that the government in the latest statement clarified that it had no plan to change the name of the poverty alleviation programme. The judge disposed of the petition as withdrawn and observed that the petitioner could agitate the matter again if the government changed the name of the BISP.

A citizen, Umar Hayat, had filed the petition pleading that the BISP was launched in year 2010 by the then PPP-led government following appropriate legislation. He stated that the subsequent government made a little change to the BISP due to political reasons as it removed the picture of late Benazir from the programme’s card, however, did not change its title.

The petitioner claimed that the incumbent government intended to change the name of the income support programme. He said under the law the name of BISP could not be changed unless parliament made an amendment to the law. The petitioner had asked the court to restrain the government from initiating any move towards changing the name of the BISP.