PHC reissues notice to KP govt in petition against appointment

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Wednesday re-issued notice to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to submit reply in a writ petition challenging appointment of director general Peshawar Development Authority (PDA).

A two-member bench comprising Chief Justice Mazhar Alam Miankhel and Justice Roohul Amin Khan again put on notice the PDA director general, chief secretary, secretary Local Government, Elections and Rural Development Department and director general Military Lands and Cantonments, Rawalpindi to submit replies within 14 days.

The court issued the notice in a writ petition filed by Khan Afzal Afridi, deputy director Building Control Agency PDA, challenging the appointment of PDA DG Muhammad Saleem Hassan Watto.

During hearing, Khalid Anwar Afridi, counsel for the petitioner, submitted that after the Supreme Court’s landmark decision issued on September 26 regarding appointments in the Islamabad High Court without codal formalities of competitive process, the deputationists have no place on such posts and thus the DG PDA should be stopped from work till final decision in the case.

After these arguments, the chief justice observed that the respondents can file the comments in the case and directed them to submit reply within 14 days. The court did not proceed with hearing in the case as Qazi Anwar advocate filed power of attorney on behalf of the DG PDA and sought time to submit reply. 

The petition stated that the PDA head was inducted on April 19, 2004 in the Income Tax Group and then promoted to grade-18 on August 18, 2009.It said the respondent DG PDA had been on deputation with the Military Lands and Cantonment since May 25, 2008. He said the respondent DG along with other officers was then permanently absorbed in ML&C Group on June 11, 2010.

During previous hearing, the lawyer said that Muhammad Saleem Hassan Watto was an officer of grade-19 in ML&C but was appointed as DG PDA on a post of grade-20 on deputation on August 9. Terming it illegal, he said the appointment also deprived 10 senior and deserving PDA officers in grade-19 of their right to be appointed as DG. He also raised a number of other points against the DG.