Notice ordering removal of BISE Kohat chair suspended

Seeks reply from EC DG in former secretary of mines corruption reference

PESHAWAR: The chief minister’s notification to send the Board of Intermediate Secondary Education Kohat chairperson to University of Peshawar was suspended by Peshawar High Court on Tuesday.

The bench of Justice Irshad Qaiser and Justice Syed Afsar Shah was informed the chief minister directed the petitioner to leave charge as the chairperson of the board and report back to UoP. The petitioner’s counsel, Anwarul Haq, told the bench Professor Aqal Zaman was appointed as the chairperson on deputation three years ago. A year was left till he completed his deputation.



“The chief minister had neither issued a show-cause notice nor shown any reason to remove him from the seat,” Haq said. “The order has been issued at a time when Secondary School Certificate examinations are going on.”  He said Zaman’s removal as chairperson at a time when the examinations were under way would have negative effects.



The counsel added legal points were not considered when the notification was issued – this would affect Zaman’s career, said Haq. Therefore, Haq requested the bench to suspend the notification and allow the petitioner to continue with his deputation.

The bench accepted the request and suspended the notification. It also directed the petitioner to continue working as the chairperson of the board.

Notices were also issued to the chief secretary and schools secretary and replies were sought from them on the writ filed by the chairperson of the board, Zaman.

Notice on corruption reference

The same bench heard a petition filed by the former secretary of mines and minerals, Mian Waheedudin.

The petitioner’s counsel, Muazzam Butt, told the bench the PHC had restrained the Ehtesab Commission (EC) from arresting Waheeduddin. The counsel argued under the EC act, a government official cannot be nominated in two corruption references. He added the commission can also not prepare two different references against a government official, under the act.

However, Butt added, the commission nominated Waheeduddin when it started an enquiry in a corruption scandal in the department.

Therefore, the bench was requested to declare the two references of the same nature null and void against the petitioner under the recent amendments made in the Ehtesab law.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 30^th,  2016.