Ex-MS of KTH forcibly occupies office of hospital director

PESHAWAR: A former medical superintendent of Khyber Teaching Hospital (KTH) forcibly occupied the office of the hospital director, talking the plea that the court had called for maintaining the status quo.

Dr Zafar Afridi said it was his legal right to get the position of the hospital director as the court had ordered to maintain the status quo and sought reply from the Health Department.

Quoting the court verdict, he claimed that he was an acting hospital director before the appointment of Dr Tahir Nadeem. Dr Zafar Afridi had challenged the appointment of Dr Tahir Nadeem, former Director General Health Services Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, as regular hospital director in the court.

Soon after the court order, Dr Zafar Afridi came to the KTH along with his supporters, mostly Class-IV employees and forcibly occupied the office of the hospital director. After occupying the position of the hospital director, Dr Zafar Afridi took certain decisions.

On Friday, the Board of Governors (BoG) held an emergency meeting when Dr Zafar Afridi occupied the position. “In the light of legal opinion regarding the interpretation of the decision of honourable Peshawar High Court, Peshawar dated 19/8/2020 in the case of Writ Petition No. 3611-P/2020 with IR as filed by

Dr. Muhammad Zafar Afridi Vs. Board of Governors (BoG) and others, the BoG, MTI, KTH/KMC/KCD in its 77” meeting called in emergency has been pleased to decide that Dr. Tahir Nadeem Khan will continue to work as the Hospital Director MTI, KTH/KMC/KCD till final decision of the case by the Honorable Peshawar High Court, Peshawar,” the BoG said in a statement.

It added that Dr Tahir Nadeem Khan was directed to continue working and perform his duties as per prevailing MTI Act, Rules and Regulations until further orders. In view of the foregoing, all the orders issued by Dr Muhammad Zafar Afridi in writing, verbally or otherwise on 20/8/2020 or afterwards, while forcefully occupying the office of Hospital Director and unlawfully using the legal authority of Hospital Director, MTI KTH/KMC/KCD, are hereby declared to have been issued without any lawful authority and thus withdrawn in public interest, being ultra vires.

“Therefore, all the HODS, Section I/C and other Managerial Staff are directed in the public interest to communicate/correspond with Dr Tahir Nadeem Khan, Hospital Director,” the BoG said in the statement.