PHC stays recruitment process in Pesco

PESHAWAR: Suspending the implementation of a new recruitment advertisement issued by the Peshawar Electric Supply Company (Pesco), the Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Thursday ordered a stay on the hiring process.

A two-member bench comprising Justice Ejaz Anwar and Justice Fazal Subhan issued the verdict during the hearing of a writ petition filed by Waqar Khan and others.The court also issued notices to the Ministry of Energy and other relevant parties, directing them to submit their responses within 14 days.

Advocate Khalid Rehman, counsel for the petitioners, informed the court that Pesco had initially advertised several vacancies in 2022. Following the advertisement, he said, written tests and interviews were conducted and the petitioners’ names appeared in the provisional merit list. They were subsequently shortlisted and appeared for interviews.

However, before final appointments could be made, he said, the federal government imposed a ban on recruitment, citing financial constraints as the reason.According to the petitioner’s counsel, the advertised posts included around 500 positions for Line Superintendents (LS-1 and LS-2), with over 4,000 total vacancies announced at the time. In 2023, the authorities reportedly decided to proceed with the recruitment for certain posts, including Grade-15 Commercial Assistants and Grade-14 LS-2 positions. The petitioners were again included in the selection process and qualified on merit.

Despite this, he said, the Pesco sent a request to the Ministry of Energy seeking approval to finalise appointments. Instead of granting permission, he said, the ministry directed Pesco to cancel the previous process and issue a fresh advertisement.

Challenging this move, the petitioners filed a writ in the PHC, arguing that the new advertisement was illegal and unjust, as they had already undergone the complete selection process and deserved to be appointed.

After hearing the initial arguments, the court issued a stay order on the new advertisement and sent notices to Wapda, Pesco, and the Ministry of Energy, requiring them to submit written replies within two weeks.