Civilian officers’ woes: IHC dismisses petition against promotion policy in ISI

Civilian employees of the agency claimed they were being discriminated against.

ISLAMABAD:

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday dismissed a petition challenging the promotion policy for civilian officers working for the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).

IHC Chief Justice Anwar Khan Kasi declared it non-maintainable as the issue does not fall under its jurisdiction.

The judge directed the petitioners to approach Federal Services Tribunal (FST).

The petition was filed by 34 civilian officers working for the agency in June last year seeking the court’s direction over the process of civilian officials’ promotion, which they termed ‘discriminatory and slow’.



The petitioners’ counsel, Rehan Khan, maintained that civilian officials of the agency had been waiting their promotion for 23 years. He urged the court to order their promotions in their respective scales. However, the agency’s counsel, Khurram Hashmi, contested the arguments and said the petitioners were civil servants and should approach FST which is the right forum to hear such cases.

Hashmi also submitted a notification in a sealed envelope detailing reasons for which the services of these civilian officials were acquired by the agency. On September 17, the court had issued a notice to the Director-general of ISI in response to a contempt application filed by one of the civilian officials seeking criminal proceedings against the agency chief.

The petitioner’s counsel had maintained that on June 10, 2013, IHC had restrained ISI to take adverse action against the petitioners after filing the petition seeking the promotions on merit. However, he informed the court that instead of complying with the court orders, the respondents threatened his clients to withdraw the petition.



NHA chairman summoned

In a separate case, IHC Judge Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui summoned the National Highway Authority (NHA) chairman in response to a contempt petition filed by sacked employees of the authority.

The officials are seeking contempt of court proceedings against the NHA chief for not complying with court orders.

The court directed NHA Chairman Maroof Afzal to appear before the court on October 9 and explain why its order was not followed.

In May this year, dozens of NHA employees who were sacked by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz government in 1997, had filed a petition seeking their reinstatement.

Zille Huma, the counsel for the petitioners, filed the contempt application on Thursday seeking criminal proceedings against Afzal and maintained that the official has yet to address the employees’ grievances despite the passage of four months.

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