PHC declares EDO Education orders to watchmen void

Round-the-clock duty

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Friday declared the orders of the Executive District Officer (EDO) Education Nowshera null and void as he had directed the watchmen of the primary schools to perform duty 24 hours.

 A division bench headed by Justice Waqar Ahmad Seth declared the orders of the EDO as illegal and unlawful. Insafuddin, who was a watchman at the Government Girls Primary School in Daag Ismailkhel in Nowshera, had challenged the orders of the EDO in the high court through his lawyer Muhammad Asif Khan.

The lawyer submitted before the bench that under the law, a government employee was supposed to do eight hours duty.

It may be mentioned that following the terrorist attack on the Bacha Khan University in Charsadda, the EDO Nowshera had asked the watchmen of the schools to arrange on their own a Kalashnikov rifle and safeguard the school day and night.

The lawyer said that the watchmen had been directed that they would be held responsible if any terrorist attack took place or the students were harmed. During the course of hearing, the court wondered as how was it possible for a government servant to remain on duty for 24 hours.