Endless litigation: IHC suspends transfer order of ex-FDE chief

Shahnaz Riaz’s lawyer maintains only PM can remove her.


Our Correspondent May 09, 2014
The Islamabad High Court’s (IHC) Justice Noorul Haq N Qureshi suspended Dr Shahnaz Riaz’s transfer notification issued by Capital Administration. PHOTO: FILE

ISLAMABAD:


The capital’s high court on Friday suspended the transfer order of a former director general (DG) of the Federal Directorate of Education (FDE), who was removed from office in February.


The Islamabad High Court’s (IHC) Justice Noorul Haq N Qureshi suspended Dr Shahnaz Riaz’s transfer notification issued by Capital Administration and Development Division (CADD) and sought replies from the establishment and CADD secretaries on the next date, which will be fixed later by the registrar’s office.

On Thursday, when the court resumed hearing of the case, Advocate Shakeel Abbasi, counsel for the petitioner, argued that CADD was not the competent authority to transfer or remove his client, while challenging the transfer order.

Abbasi informed the court that CADD issued the transfer order on February 13, on the basis of an inquiry which was illegal. He argued that the authority to transfer the FDE chief rested with the prime minister and requested the court to suspend the transfer order.

CADD, which oversees FDE’s affairs, booted out Riaz earlier this year and directed her to report the ministry, after she was found guilty of misuse of power and irregularities in funds for evening shifts in schools under her watch.

On April 7, the apex court had rejected a request by Riaz to cancel her transfer order and fined her Rs10,000 for filing a frivolous case. She had maintained that she was being transferred out of FDE in violation of an earlier verdict by the court in 2012 after she was removed from her post. The bench had stated that FDE was overseen by CADD and the transfer was not in violation of court orders. It added that its previous decision to reinstate her in 2012 was wrong.

The FDE looks after around 424 schools and colleges in the Islamabad Capital Territory.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 10th, 2014.

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