Balochsitan govt directed to pay salary of female teacher

The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Tuesday imposed Rs25,000 fine on an officer who withheld the salary of female teacher Quarat-Ul-Ain. A two-member SC bench comprising Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed and Justice Ijaz Ul Ahsan heard the case filed by Balochistan Education Department regarding withholding the salary of a female teacher.

During the course of proceedings, Justice Ijaz Ul Ahsan expressed annoyance over stopping of female teacher’s salary for seven years and asked the Additional Advocate General Balochistan that how could the salary of a female teacher be stopped for this long a period? He asked how Quarat-ul-Ain’s salary was stopped in 2014 without suspension of service.

He asked who had stopped the Balochistan government from enforcing the law? The Additional Advocate General said that an inquiry in 2014 revealed that Quarat-ul-Ain’s recruitment as a teacher was bogus.

The Chief Justice asked why the teacher was not fired for seven years when it was found out that the recruitment was bogus. No one’s salary could be withheld for seven years without being removed from office, he added.

The apex court directed the Balochistan government to resolve the issue of female teacher’s salary and disposed of the Balochistan government’s appeal against the decision of the Balochistan High Court.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 28^th, 2021.