PHC suspends KP ombudsman’s directions against PDA chief

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Tuesday suspended the Provincial Ombudsman directions against the Director General of Peshawar Development Authority (PDA).

The court asked the Local Government Department to take action against the director general and other employees for allegedly awarding contract of renovation of PDA office to Frontier Works Organisation against the law.

A division bench comprising Justice Syed Afsar Shah and Justice Ghazanfar Khan suspended the directions and findings of provincial ombudsman against the PDA DG and employees. The bench asked the Local Government Department to take action under Section 14 (6) of the KP Ombudsman Act, 2010.

The PDA DG had challenged the directions and findings of the Ombudsman in the high court through his lawyer Muhammad Tariq Afridi. Provincial ombudsman, registrar of the Ombudsman office and a private complainant Matiullah were made parties to the writ petition.

The lawyer submitted that such directions and recommendations of the provincial Ombudsman about the petitioner and PDA have already been suspended by the high court and the matter is still pending in the court. The lawyer submitted that awarding the contract to WFO for renovation of the PDA buildings was done after fulfilling of all legal procedure.

It was submitted in the petition that due to personnel vendetta, the respondents were bent upon to ruin career of the petitioner and therefore, they in utter disregard for provisions of Section 12 of KP Ombudsman Act 2010 sent copies of the findings through letters to the Director General, Military Lands and Cantonment Department in Rawalpindi, secretary Local Government KP, the managing director KP Public Procurement and Regulatory Authority and Director Provincial Audit Office of the Accountant General, KP for departmental action, which is unlawful.

The petitioner said that under Section 9(1) of KP Ombudsman Act 2010 the provincial Ombudsman does not have the jurisdiction to investigate or enquire into a matter which is sub-judice and pending before the high court. It was prayed in the petition that to suspend the directions and findings of the provincial Ombudsman and declare it illegal and without lawful jurisdiction.