The government has once again violated Supreme Court (SC) orders to bar extensions to ministry officials who reach superannuation, by bestowing a rare, third extension upon Dr Shahbaz Ahmed Kureshi as Head of Cardiology Department, Federal Government Polyclinic Hospital.
According to documents with The Express Tribune, Dr Kureshi’s request for a third extension in re-employment for a period of one year was regretted by the Ministry of Health on February 4. Dr Nasir Moeen, a physician cardiologist, was instead asked to take over as head of the Cardiology Department. On April 1, however, the ministry took back its orders and granted Dr Kureshi his desired extension on contract basis for a period of one year, starting on April 1 and ending on December 31 of this year.
According to sources, Dr Kureshi retired on April 7, 2009, upon attaining the age of 60 years. On April 5, 2009, he approached the Federal Service Tribunal and claimed that the date of birth mentioned on his National Identity Card (NIC) was erroneous. He claimed that his actual year of birth was 1953 which was wrongly mentioned as 1949 and, so, he had not reached retirement age. He took a stay order and said he would retire when the final decision was reached.
During this period he requested for a year’s extension which was granted. However, on November 2007, he withdrew his case from the tribunal.
At that time Dr Akbar Nawaz was next in line to become the department’s head. “His extensions took away my chance to become the department head. I reached retirement age and retired!” Dr Nawaz told The Express Tribune. He claimed that Dr Kureshi got a new ID card made in which he changed his date of birth to get the extension.
He added that he struggled for a year and a half to get his rightful place. He even filed a writ petition with Islamabad High Court (IHC) in 2009 against Dr Kureshi’s extension, which is still pending.
During this period, Dr Kureshi request another extension from the Ministry of Health, which was granted. This second extension expired last year, following which he requested a third one, which was earlier rejected but later accepted by the ministry.
Moreover, while the appeal for his third extension was in process, he continued to receive all perks and privileges while sitting at home, including salary, car, residence and other benefits while sitting at home.
“How can backdate and a rejected extension appeal be renewed by the Ministry of Health, and how can a retired official enjoy all these perks and privileges?” questioned Dr Moeen. He said the ministry was clearly in violation of the SC verdict and had thrice given extension to an official who retired three years ago.
He said he was also fighting for his right and, like Dr Nawaz, had also filed a petition with IHC, whose decision is still pending.
On the other hand, Dr Kureshi feels he is justified. When contacted, he claimed that he got the extensions because he is the most qualified cardiologist in the country and, therefore, deserves to be on the position.
“Currently, I am the only cardiologist with a PhD in cardiology and biology among other qualifications from abroad. There is no cardiologist capable of replacing me as all of them are diploma holders,” he claimed.
In response, Dr Moeen questioned why the Ministry of Health did not contact Public Service Commission for a suitable replacement. Also, he added that no specific qualification was required for the position.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 6th, 2011.
COMMENTS (1)
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ