SHC restrains govt from appointing new HEC chairperson

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court on Monday issued an interim order in a matter related to the appointment of new chairperson of the Higher Education Commission and directed the federal government that the post of HEC chairperson shall be kept vacant till further orders.

The interim order came on a lawsuit of Dr Tariq Banuri against his removal from the post of HEC chairperson on March 26. The plaintiff’s counsel submitted that Dr Banuri was appointed as HEC chairperson on May 29, 2018 for a period of four years. However, the federal government through its notification issued on March 26 ceased him to work as the chairperson with immediate effect.

He submitted that the impugned notification said it has been issued in light of the HEC Amendment Ordinance. The counsel submitted that under the HEC law the HEC chairperson shall hold the office for the period of four years and under Section 6(6) of the HEC law, the chairperson cannot be removed from the office before his term.

He said that under the new amendment in HEC law, the tenure of the office of chairperson has been reduced from four to two years. He submitted that the notification was malafide as it could not be applied to the plaintiff as he has not completed the four years’ tenure.

The SHC’s single bench, headed by Justice Nadeem Akhtar, after preliminary hearing of the lawsuit, issued a notice to the Cabinet Division, the Ministry of the Federal Education and HEC for their comments and ordered that the post of HEC chairperson shall be kept vacant till further orders.