Govt restrained from advertising SZABMU VC’s post

Petitioner argues an official from Pims should have been selected.

ISLAMABAD:

The capital’s high court on Monday granted a stay against advertising the vice chancellor’s (VC) post for Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Medical University, after the decision was challenged by a former official of Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims).

Islamabad High Court’s Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui accepted a petition filed by former joint executive director, Dr Altaf Hussain, against an advertisement placed by Capital Administration and Development (CAD) secretary on May 30. The petitioner’s counsel, Advocate Sohaib Shaheen maintained that the decision to advertise the post was illegal in the presence of competent officials in Pims.

Referring to a recent judgement of the same bench, in which the government had been directed to appoint a competent official from Pims as an executive director after Riaz Warraich’s appointment was declared illegal, the counsel argued that the VC should be selected from the hospital.

During the course of hearing, CAD Secretary Shafqat Naghmi, who was summoned by the court, said the post of Pims ED was abolished by the previous government after a bill was passed for the establishment of the new university.

“A VC is required for this university which is why the post was advertised.” However, Justice Siddiqui was not convinced and asked him submit a detailed reply by the end of this month.

After Shaheen argued that Dr Muhammad Iqbal Memon’s appointment as administrator for Pims was illegal, the court asked the CAD secretary to respond to the allegation and adjourned the case till June 30.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 4^th, 2013.