PHC issues contempt notice to top KP govt officials

Non-compliance with orders on promotion

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Thursday issued contempt of court notice to the top officials of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government for non-compliance with the court orders.

A division bench comprising Chief Justice Mazhar Alam Miankel and Justice Muhammad Ghazanfar issued the notice to the senior government officials and Provincial Selection Board.

Those issued notices included chief secretary, secretaries Home and Establishment departments about promotion of Superintendent of Prison Peshawar, Masoodur Rehman, to grade-20.

The court issued the directions in a contempt of court petition, filed by Superintendent Prison Peshawar, Masoodur Rehman, through his lawyer Khushdil Khan. He had sought direction from the court to the officials concerned to comply with the court’s orders.

During hearing, the petitioner’s lawyer submitted that the high court had passed an order in 2014 about promotion of the petitioner from Grade-19 to grade-20 in the KP Prisons Department.

The lawyer submitted that about two years had passed, but the provincial government was not complying with the court’s order. He said it had employed delaying tactics in promotion of the petitioner to grade-20 and appointing him as Inspector General (IG) Prisons Department.

The lawyer submitted that the promotion of the senior police officers in the Prison Department had not only affected the police officers, but also created a sense of deprivation among them as to date no officers was promoted to grade-20 to be appointed as IG prisons.

He said the provincial government was taking advantage of the delay in promotions of the police officers in the Prison Department and was appointing own men of choice on deputation as IG Prisons from bureaucracy of the province.

After hearing arguments, the bench issued contempt of court notice to the respondents. They were directed to submit reply before November 19, the next date for hearing of the case. The respondents were asked to explain as why the court’s order was not implemented.

The provincial government has been appointing bureaucrats from various departments as IG Prisons. The senior officers of the Prisons Department are not promoted to the IG posts due to years-long delay in their promotions.

Earlier, the assistant superintendents and warders of the KP Prisons Department had also moved the high court for the right to promotion and allowances. Meanwhile, the same bench also issued notice to Superintendent Haripur Prison to explain as to why remission in jail term was not granted to a prisoner after he passed the BA examination from the prison.

The court issued notice in a writ petition of a prisoner Ismail, in which he prayed before the court to direct the prison’s authorities to grant him remission in jail term as per the law. The prisoner’s lawyer Amin Khattak Lachi, submitted the IG Prisons and Superintendent Bannu stated that the conduct of the prisoner was not good and that was why remissions were not given to him.

He said that the prisoners had passed the BA exam from Haripur Prison and he was entitled to remission at that time and Superintendent Haripur would be in better position to submit reply in the court.