Set aside: Chief court suspends appointment of TB officer for G-B

Declares selection was against rules advertised for the post.

GILGIT: The chief court of Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) on Wednesday suspended the appointment of the national officer of the TB Control Program for the region. The appointment was declared to be against the criteria advertised for the post.

Local candidate Dr Zaeem Zia filed a petition in the chief court earlier this year, claiming the appointment of Dr Hamidullah, a resident of Khyber–Pakhtunkhwa, was against the rules.

Chief Judge Sahib Khan and Wazir Shakeel heard the case while the petitioner was represented by senior advocate Amjad Hussain. The petitioner said the appointment of a non-local was made despite suitable candidates being present in G-B.



“The advertisement published in the media categorically stated the eligibility criteria. However, it was overlooked and a man from another area was appointed,” said the petitioner. The petitioner named the Islamabad director general health, TB Control Program human resource manager and Dr Hamidullah among the respondents.

Earlier, the Gilgit-Baltistan Young Doctors Association (YDA) threatened to boycott their duties if the appointment was not suspended. Doctors urged the government to take the matter seriously as ignoring local candidates could have serious repercussions for their careers.

The chief court’s decision was hailed by the Pakistan Medical Association and YDA, who termed it a victory for medical professionals in G-B.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 4^th, 2014.