Tug of war: Top health official sacked ‘in defiance of court orders

Dr Saboor alleges govt officials want to appoint favourites.


Sehrish Wasif July 25, 2013
Dr Saboor alleges govt officials want to appoint favourites. PHOTO: FILE

ISLAMABAD:


A senior official in the ministry of national health services, regularisation and coordination claimed on Wednesday that his bosses have sacked him in defiance of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) orders.


On Friday, the IHC stayed the removal of Dr Qazi Abdus Saboor from the posts of director general health and the chief executive officer of the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP).

“Minister of State Saira Afzal Tarar and Secretary Imtiaz Inayat Elahi have violated the IHC orders for ordering all officials not to put up any official files or to do official correspondence with me,” said Dr Saboor. “They want to appoint their blue-eyed boys to this position. And that’s why they are giving me a tough time.”

Talking to The Express Tribune, Dr Saboor said he got a stay order from the IHC after he was removed from his post at the DRAP and in the health ministry and transferred to the Capital Administration and Development Division (CA&DD).

Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui of the IHC suspended both transfer notifications and ordered that Dr Saboor continue working as DG Health and CEO DRAP.

“The room I used to sit in has been divided into portions so that other staff could sit there. I’m not being allowed to conduct any official meeting or to reply to any official email.”

Meanwhile, talking to The Express Tribune, Secretary Imtiaz Inayat Elahi claimed that the ministry did not receive any court order. He said Dr Saboor could not keep two posts at the same time. However, during a Senate standing committee meeting on July 23, Elahi informed that the IHC gave its decision without hearing them. Saira Tarar on the occasion said there were several corruption charges against Dr Saboor.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 25th, 2013.

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