HEC imbroglio: Court puts establishment division, HEC officials on notice

Seeks reply from respondents till December 17; the case is already pending before SC.

ISLAMABAD:

A capital court has given top officials of the Higher Education Commission (HEC) till January 17 to submit their replies in response to a petition filed by a student wing of a political party, challenging the controversial appointment of the commission’s new Executive Director (ED).

The Islamabad High Court’s (IHC) Justice Muhammad Anwar Khan Kasi on Thursday issued notices to the Establishment Division secretary, HEC incumbent and former chairmen, newly-appointed Executive Director Maj (retd) Qamar Zaman Chaudhry on a petition filed by Insaf Students Federation, the student wing of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf. A petition challenging the new ED’s appointment is also pending before the Supreme Court.

Farrukh Dall, the petitioner’s counsel, maintained that since HEC is an autonomous body, the Establishment Division can not interfere in its affairs. He informed the court that HEC was established under an ordinance in 2002, according to which its 18-member commission was empowered to appoint an ED. He requested the court to suspend new ED’s appointment.



This matter is already before the Supreme Court which has sought reply from the government till December 17. When Dall was asked why he filed a petition in the IHC, despite the fact that the case was pending before the SC, he said he was unaware of the issues raised in the apex court’s petition. “I don’t know exactly the contents of the petition in the SC, I have only focused on the illegal appointment of the new ED,’’ he added. A court official told The Express Tribune that Dall concealed the fact that a case was already pending before the SC.

Hajj scam  

In another case, former Hajj director general Rao Shakeel Ahmed, an accused in the Hajj corruption case, filed for post-arrest bail in the high court.

The petitioner’s counsel Ahsanuddin claimed that his client had spent two years in jail on allegations based on malafide intentions and requested the court to accept his post-arrest bail application. The court sought a reply from the state and adjourned the case. The next date for hearing is to be fixed by the registrar’s office.

Federal Investigation Agency’s FIA special court in Rawalpindi on October 17 rejected the bail applications of Ahmed and former joint secretary religious affairs Raja Aftabul Islam, both involved in the Hajj corruption case. Ahsanuddin maintained that the special court had refused him post-arrest bail despite the fact that his client was accused along with former religious affairs minister Hamid Saeed Kazmi who was granted bail in October.

Over 10 officials, including Ahmed were arrested by the FIA in November 2010 for their involvement in the Hajj scam.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 14^th, 2012.