Board of Technical Education: Court suspends K-P govt’s order to remove BTE chairman

PHC seeks report explaining why he was removed.

PESHAWAR: The provincial government’s order to remove the chairman of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Board of Technical Education (K-P BTE) was suspended by Peshawar High Court on Friday. The court also asked Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s (K-P) government for a report explaining why the chairman was removed.

The order was issued by a division bench of Justice Irshad Qaiser and Justice Ikramullah Khan. They were informed by petitioner Nasir Ali’s counsel Danyal Khan Chamkani that his client was appointed as the board’s chairman on deputation on November 20, 2010 for three years.

The counsel argued that his client’s contract was extended by two years because of his performance. He added that the provincial government suspended his client from the post on January 17 without stating any reasons and ordered him to report back to the same department.



“The suspension of my client from the post of chairman of the board is against the law and the order which suspends him does not state why,” said Advocate Chamkani. “The provincial government has not appointed anyone in his place as yet.”

The petitioner’s counsel added that the secretary of industries was doing the chairman’s job as the government had not found a replacement.



After hearing preliminary arguments of the petitioner’s counsel, the court suspended the order and sought a report with an explanation of the government’s actions.

Why the board is important

The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Board of Technical Education was established in March 1973 as the North-West Frontier Province Board of Technical Education Act 1972. The board had to organise, regulate and supervise technical, commercial and vocational diplomas and certificates in K-P and tribal areas. The board is an academic and examining body for polytechnic, commercial, vocational and other private technical institutions, including computer training institutes.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 25^th, 2014.