Court seeks reply in alleged merit violation case

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Monday summoned the recently appointed admin officer of the Pakistan Institute of Prosthetic and Orthotic Sciences (PIPOS) Hayatabad and sought a reply from other parties in a writ petition filed against the non-recruitment of the petitioner for the post despite his eligibility.

A two-member bench comprising Justice Sahibzada Asadullah and Justice Farah Jamshed heard the petition filed by Shakir Fareed.His counsel, Bashir Khan Wazir Advocate, informed the court that the Managing Director of PIPOS had advertised several positions, including Admin Officer (Grade-17), with the basic requirements of a bachelor’s degree and administrative experience in a hospital or health institute.

The counsel stated that the petitioner had applied for the post, passed the test and interview, securing second position in the recruitment process, while being fifth on the merit list.However, despite his position and relevant experience, he was overlooked, and a person named Shoaibur Rehman was appointed, allegedly without the required qualifications or experience.

The counsel told the court that the appointed officer had only completed his BSc in June 2024 and was required to complete a mandatory one-year internship thereafter, making it impossible for him to have hospital experience at the time.

He argued that the appointee had submitted a PRO Department certificate as proof of experience, which was unrelated to the post, yet was still selected for the job.The counsel requested the court to declare the appointment order dated June 27, 2025, illegal.