CBA CEO Shah assured the court that the green belt or trees would not be harmed. PHOTO: PPI
The court also issued notices to the secretary and director-general of the department to submit replies till next hearing and explain irregularities as claimed by petitioners.
The restraining order was issued on a petition filed by 21 senior doctors, including Dr Muhammad Saleem, alleging violation of rules and regulations in the recruitment on the vacant posts.
The petitioners claimed that irregularities were committed by the health department in promotions of doctors in Management Cadre.
When the hearing commenced before a division bench headed by Justice Syed Afsar Shah, petitioners’ counsel Ijaz Khan Sabi argued that the petitioners were holding MBBS and master’s degrees in Public Health.
He said the majority of them have served or have been serving on administrative posts at the management cadre for the past several years and have relevant experience to apply for the post advertised.
“On July 14, 2009, the health department director-general has communicated to the health secretary the final list of employees who have exercised their option to join the management cadre,” he stated.
The counsel said the government had given one-week deadline to the petitioners either to join the management or teaching cadre.
Moreover, Sabi argued another irregularity was committed when the health director-general added names of those doctors in the management cadre who had completed their degrees after the expiry date.
He contended that the respondents have included even those doctors whose degrees were questionable.
“They do not have Master in Public Health degree which is a prerequisite; rather, they have done their masters in Business Administration and Executive Master in Business Administration that are not relevant,” he argued.
He stated that in November 2009, it was decided to ask doctors who have diploma/degrees in management subjects to register their management degrees with the PMDC at the earliest.
Sabi said the majority of doctors whose name were on the list had not registered their additional qualification.
The bench stayed recruitments on the challenged posts and asked the respondents to submit their replies. In the petition, it is pointed out that on September 10, 2009 around 20 doctors were given promotion from BPS-17 to BPS-18 from the list of the management cadre.
“Astonishingly, the same doctors were given promotions to BPS-19 in general cadres on November 19, 2011 through notifications on various dates,” it said.
It said that the petitioners had time and again highlighted illegality in the promotions and irregularities in the promotions to the management cadre and applications were moved to the chief secretary and the Establishment Department secretary, but to no avail.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 7th, 2016.
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