PHC seeks replies in writ against NAB official’s appointment

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Wednesday sought replies from the provincial government and the KP Ehtesab Commission (KPEC) in a writ petition filed against the appointment of a NAB official to a key post of director at the commission on deputation.

A division bench comprising Justice Waqar Ahmad Seth and Justice Lal Jan Khattak issued the notice to provincial government through chief secretary and KPEC through the chief Ehtesab commissioner. They were directed to submit reply in the case before the next hearing.

The bench issued notice in a writ petition of a resident of Peshawar, Mohsin Javed. He had sought orders to declare the assumption of the charge by the deputy director of NAB, Ziaullah Toru, as director at the KPEC's internal monitoring and public complaint wing illegal and without any lawful authority. The petitioner's lawyer Haziq Ali Shah submitted that his client had challenged the April 12, 2017, letter of the KPEC chief commissioner written to the NAB chairman to seek the services of Ziaullah Toru on deputation and the April 20 NAB notification about him at the commission’s disposal for three years.

The lawyer argued the said post was of BPS-20 and under Section 16(1A) of KPEC Act, no person would be appointed as the director (internal monitoring) unless he had at least master’s degree or equivalent qualification with 15 years’ experience in monitoring or investigation.