Pakistan

Regularisation and promotions: Notices sent to ministers and secretaries

IHC takes note of non-implementation of past court orders.

Obaid Abbasi January 22, 2013

31 officials from grades 14 to 19 filed a contempt application against them for not regularising them in compliance with the court order. PHOTO: FILE

ISLAMABAD:

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday issued notices to top government officials in response to a contempt application filed by over 30 officials from the ministries of commerce and education and training for non-compliance with court orders.

Justice Riaz Ahmed Khan issued notices to Minister for Education and Training Sheikh Waqas Akram, Regularisation Sub Committee Chairman Khurshid Shah, Cabinet Secretary Nargis Sethi, Commerce Secretary Munir Qureshi, Establishment Secretary Taimur Azmat Usman and Finance Secretary Wajid Rana. The court sought their replies after 31 officials from grades 14 to 19 filed a contempt application against them for not regularising them in compliance with the court order.

Arguing for the petitioners, Advocate Umair Baloch informed the court that on October 9, 2012, Justice Azim Khan Afridi passed orders to regularise the officials within three months after ex-Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani issued a policy to regularise government employees serving on contract basis. He informed the court that 12 officials from the Commerce Ministry and 19 from the Education and Training Ministry moved the court in September last year.

The next hearing will be scheduled by the IHC Registrar’s office.

Assistant IGP summoned in-person

In a separate case, Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui directed the Assistant Inspector General of Police (IGP) Zubair Hashmi to appear in person on January 29 in response to a petition filed by rank-and-file cops seeking promotions.

Islamabad police constables Yasir Mehmood, Nasir Mehmood and Muhammad Ayaz filed a petition seeking the issuance of fresh promotion letters after they qualified for the post of Assistant Sub Inspector (ASI) in the Islamabad police.

With the Interior secretary, IGP, Deputy IGP, and Assistant IGP Establishment as respondents, the petitioners’ counsel Chaudhry Abdul Rehman maintained that his clients qualified for the post of ASI in February 2009 and their names were placed on the reserve list. Still they are awaiting promotions, he said.

He said 47 cops were promoted after qualifying in the written test. After the preliminary hearing, the court directed the assistant IGP to appear in person and offer an explanation before adjourning till January 29.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 22^nd, 2013.