Illegal transfers: Senior officials issued contempt notices

PHC asks former health minister and chief secretary, among others, to appear on May 27.

ABBOTABAD:

A Peshawar High Court (PHC) bench issued contempt notices to former chief secretary Shehzad Arbab, provincial minister Shaukat Yousafzai and senior officials of the health department for violating a PHC ruling pertaining to transfers and postings of Ayub Medical Complex’s staff.

The officials have been ordered to appear before the court on May 27.

In March this year, the provincial government had issued transfer orders of over 15 medical superintendents (MS) and deputy medical superintendents of various hospitals, including those already declared autonomous, across the province.

From Ayub Medical Complex (AMC), Medical Superintendent Dr Iftikhar Ahmad was transferred and in his place Dr Zafeer Ahmed, the then district health officer, was posted. Iftikhar refused to hand over his charge and a few days later moved PHC’s Abbottabad bench, asking to cancel the order.

In his petition, he termed the transfer order tantamount to contempt of court as a PHC verdict in 2007 had barred the government and hospital managements from appointing an MS from outside the autonomous hospital.

The PHC bench comprising Justice Waqar Seth and Justice Irshad Qaisar had asked then chief secretary, health minister, health secretary, health DG, and other relevant officials to cancel the transfer order in accordance with PHC’s earlier verdict, which they did not do.  On Wednesday, the court again heard arguments and in its short order annulled the government’s order, terming it a violation of PHC’s 2007 judgment.

It then issued contempt notices to 15 officials, including the former health minister, Arbab, the incumbent health secretary and DG health along with three non-official members of AMC’s management council.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 1^st, 2014.