Court suspends transfer orders of nine officials

Petitioners were transferred when they challenged their promotions.

KARACHI:

The Sindh High Court has suspended the transfer orders of around nine officers of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).

Malik Mazhar Hussain and eight other officers of the CAA have taken the government to court in 2011 over a promotion issue. The petitioners said they were promoted by their department’s promotion committee from the ranks of PG-09 to PG-10 on November 11, 2010. All the petitioners, who were senior officers, joined their new duties. On November 12, 2010, the defence ministry sent a reference against the petitioners to cancel their promotion orders.

On November 19, that year, Hussain received an official notification from CAA’s director-general transferring him to Quetta. “The transfer orders are without any reason and justification, and are meant to penalise the petitioner for indulging in litigation,” argued his lawyer.

After hearing arguments, Justice Faisal Arab, issued notices to the defense ministry, the CAA director-general and other officers of the CAA for November 27. The operation of the transfer notification was also suspended till the next date of hearing.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 23^rd, 2012.