POST MASTER-GENERAL, N.-W.F.P. PESHAWAR vs LIAQUAT ALI and another

This petition for leave to appeal was filed by the Post Master-General, N.-W.F.P., Peshawar, against the respondents. The petition was submitted seven days beyond the prescribed period of limitation. The learned Deputy Attorney-General attempted to justify the delay by citing a lack of coordination between different government departments. The Court examined whether this administrative reason constituted sufficient cause to condone the delay. Relying on the precedent established in 'Province of Punjab through Secretary, Education v. Kishwar Qudus Paul' (2004 SCMR 571), where a fourteen-day delay due to similar administrative grounds was not condoned, the Court held that the explanation provided did not constitute sufficient cause for the delay. Consequently, the Court refused to condone the delay, dismissed the petition as time-barred, and refused leave to appeal. The judgment reaffirms the principle that administrative lapses or lack of coordination between departments do not automatically constitute sufficient cause for the condonation of delay in filing legal proceedings.