JPMC official told to appear before court

Karachi

The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Tuesday issued notices to the executive director of Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) and the additional secretary health on a petition seeking his removal from the post for being a non-cadre officer.

Petitioner Moulvi Iqbal Haider and others submitted in the petition that the provincial government had appointed Prof Dr Anisuddin Bhatti as the JPMC’s executive director and had also given him the additional charge of the orthopaedic department.

They submitted that Prof Dr Bhatti was unlawfully transferred from the teaching cadre to the administrative cadre despite the Supreme Court’s ruling against changing the cadre of civil servants.

They maintained that he was absorbed in the provincial government and unlawfully given the charge of a post that required expertise of a post-graduate in public health science as well as had at least a 22-year experience of serving in the hospital’s administration.

The petitioner requested the court to set aside the impugned notification of appointing Dr Bhatti as executive director and holding the additional charge of orthopaedic department’s head.

The SHC’s division bench headed by Justice Mohammad Ali Mazhar observed that despite issuance of notice no one had appeared on behalf of the respondent.

The court issued notice to JPMC executive director through the chief secretary and secretary health to ensure he personally appears before the court or engage a counsel otherwise the court would decide the matter on the record available with it.

The court also directed the additional secretary health to appear in person on April 7.

Plea for regular director of SZIC

The SHC issued notices to the University of Karachi’s director of Sheikh Zayed Islamic Centre and others on a petition seeking appointment of a regular director for the centre.

Petitioner Dr Jahan Ara Lutfi submitted that the appointment of acting director Noor Ahmed Shah Taj was unlawful and a regular officer should be appointed on the post in accordance with the relevant rules.

She also sought inquiry over charges of alleged corruption and embezzlement against the acting director as well as his educational credentials.