PHC issues notice to PSC over paper leak

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Thursday issued a notice to the Public Service Commission (PSC) and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government in a petition seeking court directions to declare written examination of the tehsil municipal officers (TMOs) as void after paper leak cases.

A two-member bench comprising Justice Waqar Ahmad Seth and Justice Musarrat Hilali issued the notice, directing secretary, director and director examination of Public Service Commission and provincial government to submit reply before the next hearing.

The candidates including Yousaf Shah had filed the petition through their lawyer Zahidullah Zahid.

During hearing, the lawyer submitted that the provincial government had advertised TMOs posts in BPS-17 through Public Service Commission and the test was held on January 31, 2018.

The lawyer informed the bench that the paper printed for written test for the posts was leaked two hours before the test and also went viral on the social media.

He contended that later on the commission had issued two results of the test as the first result was issued in February and the second in March.

The lawyer pointed out that in the second result, 5 to 100 marks were increased to the candidates.

He added that two chances of written tests had been given to the candidates of Abbottabad region as the first test was held on January 31 and the second on February 10.

Interestingly, the lawyer pointed out that the Public Service Commission for the first time displayed the results through Computerised National Identity Cards (CNIC), which also created doubts of nepotism and favouritism in the examination.

The petitioners requested the bench to declare the whole written test for the posts as void.

The paper printed for test of TMO vacancy was reportedly leaked.

The test was conducted under the PSC for 200 vacancies of TMOs, for which around 40,000 applicants had applied.