Dismissal dilemma: Ten years on, sacked official awaits relief

Housing ministry requests services tribunal change bench in the case.

ISLAMABAD: A former Ministry of Housing and Works official who was dismissed from service in 2005 has still not gotten a review of his case, over five years after a tribunal authorised one.

Muhammad Jameel, who was a grade-17 assistant estate officer, was fired on May 10, 2005. He filed a departmental appeal, which was dismissed by ministry officials.

He then challenged his sacking in the Federal Services Tribunal (FST) on September 28, 2005. The tribunal reviewed the case and on April 19, 2010, directed the ministry to review the decision within three months.

Jameel petitioned the court in March 2015 saying that the ministry had still not reviewed its decision as per the tribunal’s order and requested FST to implement its decision.

The tribunal issued several notices to ministry officials but received no response. On Tuesday, a representative of the ministry appeared, but instead of responding to the tribunal’s queries, he requested that the tribunal change the bench for the case.

The two-member bench hearing the case has forwarded the ministry’s application to FST Chairman Justice Syed Zahid Hussain and adjourned till March 8.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 2^nd, 2016.