PHC summons officials over appointment issue

DG Pakistan Forest Institute

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Friday summoned the chief secretary Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and secretary forest department on February 20 for framing charges against them in a contempt of court petition for not appointing an official as permanent director general of the Pakistan Forest Institute despite the superior courts’ orders.

A two-member bench comprising of Justice Waqar Ahmad Seth and Justice Syed Afsar Shah issued the order.

Both the Peshawar High Court and Supreme Court had ordered the officers concerned to appoint Hakeem Shah, director Pakistan Forest Institute, Peshawar as the director general of the institute, but the orders were not complied with.

The petitioner’s lawyer Ijaz Anwar Khan submitted before the bench that the PHC passed an order on April 21, 2015 directing the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to appoint Hakeem Shah, being senior officer in the department and eligible for the post, as director general.

He pointed out that the provincial government instead of implementing the verdict gave acting charge of the director general to Secretary Forest Syed Nazar Hussain Shah and challenged the decision in the Supreme Court.

Ijaz Anwar Khan said the Supreme Court upheld the high court’s judgment and directed the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to appoint the petitioner as director general within two months.

He noted that despite the passage of two months the provincial government did not appoint the petitioner, prompting him to file a contempt of court petition against the chief secretary and secretary forest department.

On Tuesday, the bench had given two days time to the respondent officers to implement the court order and produce the appointment letter of the petitioner Hakeem Shah as director general of the institute.

When the court started hearing the petition on Friday, the provincial government provided a notification in which acting charge of director general was given to the petitioner.

The bench stated that the provincial government’s notification about appointment of the petitioner as acting director general was a violation of the court verdicts. It summoned both the respondent officials in the court on February 20.

In the reply of the provincial government, it was stated that the post of director general of the Pakistan Forest Institute was made as scheduled post and thus anyone from other departments could also be appointed to the office.