LAHORE (TIP): In an action reminiscent of that of a school teacher punishing an errant student, a Pakistani judge made a government official stand up for hours in his courtroom for telling a lie. Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah of the Lahore High Court asked Muzaffarul Haq, a section officer of the Faisalabad district government, to stand in his courtroom for lying and for concealing facts about the appointment of a peon.

Petitioner Muhammad Irfan contended that he had applied for the post of peon in the city district government and only his name had appeared on the merit list issued by authorities. However, officials ignored the merit list and appointed another person who had not even applied for the post, Irfan said. At a previous hearing, Haq had told the judge that the name of the appointed person too was on the merit list. During a hearing yesterday, the judge snubbed Haq for concealing facts and punished him for misleading the court. The judge directed Haq to appear in court again on December 6 with the records of the case.