Ex-DG Health Services petition dismissed

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Thursday dismissed the writ petition filed by the Director General of Health Services Dr Shaukat Ali against his suspension and upheld the decision of the Health Department.

A two-member bench comprising Justice Ijaz Anwar and Justice Shakeel Ahmad heard the petition.The counsels for the petitioner informed the bench that their client had worked in various important positions in the Health Department and was DG for Health and Services till recently.

However, they pleaded that the secretary of the Health Department suspended him through what they termed an illegal action. They said no reasons were mentioned for the suspension of their client. The lawyers said that only the chief secretary could suspend or remove him, as the secretary Health was not authorized for that.

They argued that a provincial lawmaker was openly telling the people that the DG Health had been suspended on his demand.The lawyers said the son of the MPA was serving the Health Department in grade 17. They added that the lawmaker wanted his son appointed as district health officer.

The counsels said that their client had been suspended on political grounds. After hearing the arguments, the bench declared that the petitioner was a civil servant and that he should file an appeal in the Services Tribunal as per the Supreme Court decision.

It may be mentioned that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Health Department had suspended DG Health Dr Shaukat Ali and an inquiry was initiated against him as he was accused of taking a bribe for the transfer of a clinical technician.