PMDC registrar files contempt plea

Says health ministry, district administration officials stopped him from entering office

ISLAMABAD: Days after the high court restored the body and directed the government to let the registrar sit in his office and work, the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) registrar on Friday filed a contempt petition against the federal government before the Islamabad High Court (IHC).

Registrar Brigadier (retired) Dr Hafizuddin Siddqui filed the plea, through Barrister Zafarullah, and listed the Ministry of Health Services secretary, joint secretary, section officer, Islamabad deputy commissioner, chief commissioner office magistrate and the Ramna police station SHO as respondents.

Brig Dr Siddiqui maintained that the respondents had once again sealed the offices of the PMDC in Sector G-10/4 despite assuring the court that they had de-sealed it.

The registrar stated that he had retaken his seat in the council on March 30 — over five months after the government had first sealed it — following orders of the IHC. After appearing in court, he said that officers of the health ministry had arrived and had removed the guards who were deployed in the office premises and asked him to leave his office.

The petitioner said that he told officials of the health ministry that they were committing contempt of court by doing so. At this, the officials said that they will hold a meeting on March 31.

In the promised meeting, Dr Siddiqui said he briefed the Health Secretary Dr Tanvir Ahmad Qureshi about the illegal action of removing PMDC employees and guards from the council’s offices. During the three-hour-long meeting, Brig Dr Siddiqui said that he explained to the health secretary that by not allowing the registrar to enter the premises tantamount to contempt of the court’s orders.

He asserted in the petition that IHC’s orders of March 30 for the immediate restoration of PMDC were not being followed.

“I was not allowed to enter my office; in the presence of media. The officials of the Ministry of Health Services and district administration stopped me and thus committed contempt of court.”

Officials of Ministry of Health, DC and district administration are jointly committing contempt of court, it is to be requested that legal action be taken against the parties and sent to jail for six months, the PMDC registrar said in the petition.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 4^th, 2020.