PHC halts PESCO recruitment process

PESHAWAR:

The Peshawar High Court (PHC) has intervened in the recruitment process at the Pakistan Electric Power Company (PESCO) by suspending a recent advertisement and halting its implementation.

The court has also issued notices to the Ministry of Energy and other involved parties, directing them to submit their responses within 14 days.

A two-member bench, consisting of Justice Ejaz Anwar and Justice Fazal Subhan, heard the writ petition filed by Waqar Khan and others.

Their lawyer, Khalid Rehman Advocate, apprised the court of the background, explaining that PESCO had initially advertised for recruitment in 2022 and conducted written tests and interviews.

The petitioners had successfully cleared the initial stages, with their names appearing on the provisional merit list, and were subsequently invited for interviews.

However, the federal government imposed a ban on recruitment, citing financial constraints.

The lawyer informed the court that the advertised positions included approximately 500 posts for LS-1 and LS-2, with over 4,000 total positions slated for filling.

In 2023, it was decided that these positions would be filled, and the recruitment process for Grade 15 Commercial Assistants and Grade 14 LS-2 had begun. The petitioners had participated in this selection process and qualified based on merit.

PESCO had sent a letter to the Ministry of Energy seeking permission to proceed with the appointments. However, instead of approving the hiring of the candidates who had passed the tests, the Ministry directed PESCO to cancel the process and issue a new advertisement.

The lawyer argued before the court that the petitioners had filed a writ petition challenging the new advertisement, contending that it was unlawful.

Since the petitioners had already completed the entire selection process, they believed they had a right to be appointed to the positions.

After considering the initial arguments, the court issued a restraining order on the new advertisement and sought responses from WAPDA, PESCO, and other parties involved.