Justice calls: PHC issues show cause notices to WWB secretary

FATA Secretariat ASC, FR DC, Kohat AC suspend junior moharrar

PESHAWAR: A divisional bench of Peshawar High Court issued a show-cause notice to Workers Welfare Board (WWB) secretary on Monday for not releasing salaries of hundreds of employees.

Justice Roohul Amin and Justice Qaiser Rasheed heard an application filed by Tanveer Ahmad through his lawyer Babar Yousafzai. Yousafzai told the bench his clients who worked at various positions in the board were asked to leave after several months. “They were not given salaries for work they had done during those months,” he said. Yousafzai informed PHC that WWB secretary was ordered to pay salaries by the court in 2014 and his failure to do so, forced his clients to file a contempt of court notice.

WWB officials including Assistant Director Haji Qudratullah and Legal Adviser Muhammad Furqan argued a letter was written to authorities for the release of Rs104 million for the payment of salaries but nothing had been done regarding it. They said they even contacted Workers Welfare Fund several times but the amount was not released.

After hearing the case, PHC issued a notice directing authorities to file a reply within three weeks.

PA office attack

The same bench sought a reply from the FATA Secretariat additional chief secretary, Frontier Region Kohat administration and Kohat assistant commissioner for suspending junior political moharrar Yousaf Hayat from his service.

Hayat filed a writ stating militants attacked the storeroom of Kohat assistant political agent’s office and looted 143 guns. “Two different enquiries were conducted in this regard and I was the only official suspended from service,” Hayat told the bench.

He complained as per rules he cannot be kept suspended for more than six months. “Almost 10 months have passed and I have not been restored,” Hayat informed the bench.

The bench after hearing the complaint ordered FATA Secretariat ASC and others to file a detailed reply.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 15^th, 2015.