PESHAWAR: Peshawar High Court (PHC) has disposed of a writ petition challenging the appointment of a Grade 19 female officer as Director Elementary and Secondary Education, declaring her appointment apparently illegal.
PHC two-member bench comprising Justice Syed Arshad Ali and Justice Sadiq Ali Momand issued the verdict, directing the provincial government to appoint a new Director on merit as soon as possible.
The court stated that if the government fails to comply with the order within the specified time, the appointment of the current Director will be considered null and void.
The petitioner, Khalid Mahmood, had challenged the appointment, arguing that the post should be filled by a Grade 20 officer, as per the rules. The government had appointed the current Director, Naeema Sardar, despite the availability of senior officers.
The court noted that the appointment was made without following the proper procedure and rules, and directed the government to select a suitable candidate for the post.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa govt reshuffles senior officers
Earlier, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Forest and Climate Change Department has issued formal notifications regarding the transfer and posting of five senior officers within the department.
According to the directives, Mazhar Iqbal, who was serving as Conservator of Forests for the Forestry Planning and Monitoring Peshawar Circle, has been appointed as Director of Community Development, Extension, Gender, and Development for KP Forest.
In a corresponding move, Deputy Chief Conservator of Forests Head Office, Peshawar Shah Hussain has been transferred and posted as Conservator of Forests, Central Forest Circle Peshawar. The notification further stated that Farhad Ali, a Grade 19 officer previously serving as Conservator of Forests for the Lower Hazara Forest Circle in Abbottabad, has been moved to Peshawar to take over as Conservator of Forests, Forestry Planning and Monitoring Circle.
Concurrently, Hayat Ali, the outgoing Conservator of Forests for the Central Forest Circle Peshawar, has been assigned to the Lower Hazara Forest Circle in Abbottabad. Additionally, Syed Latif Hussain Shah, who was serving as Divisional Forest Officer (P&D) for the merged districts, has been transferred and posted as the Deputy Chief Conservator of Forests at the Head Office. These administrative reshuffles are intended to streamline departmental operations across the provincial forestry and climate change sectors.
