PESHAWAR, June 12: A two-member bench of the Peshawar High Court on Tuesday summoned the director general of Pakistan Sports Board (PSB), Brig Saulat Abbas, in a contempt of court petition charging him of violating the court’s order.

The bench comprising Justice Malik Hamid Saeed and Justice Abdur Rauf Lughmani directed that the DG should appear on June 18 and file his reply before that date.

The bench took exception to the continuous non-compliance of the court’s order and asked the respondents counsel why action should not be taken against them under the contempt of court law.

The bench observed that if the director general of FIA was interested in becoming president of the Pakistan Badminton Federation (PBF) it did not mean that the court’s order should be flouted. The petition was filed by Dr. Saeedul Majeed, a former president of PBF.

Advocate Mubashir Ali appeared for the petitioner and contended that despite furnishing numerous undertakings to the high  court the respondent (DG) had been violating those commitments.

According to facts of the case the elections of PBF were held on Dec 31, 2000 after the tenure of Mohib Asad, the DG of FIA, ended as president of the federation. Dr Saeedul Majeed was elected the president in those elections.

However, the DG, PSB, declared the elections null and void following which a writ petition was filed Dr Majeed in the Peshawar High Court.

The petition was disposed of after the DG, deputy director, Muhammad Asghar and others furnished undertakings that fresh elections would be held. The court directed them to hold polls with changing the number of members and amending the constitution of the federation.

Later on, the respondents filed an application before the high court requesting for modification of the earlier order of the high court to the extent that they should be allowed to amend the constitution and number of members.

However, the court turned down that plea against which the respondents filed leave to appeal petition before the Supreme Court, which has yet to be taken up for hearing.

In the meantime the respondent issued a circular on April 8 in which it was announced that elections would be held on April 15.

However, on April 13 the said circular was withdrawn. The petitioner filed the instant contempt application, praying the court to take action against the respondents under the contempt of court law.

Advocate Irfanullah Qureshi, appearing for the DG, requested the court to allow some time to them as the leave to appeal petition had been pending before the Supreme Court. The bench observed that unless the apex court had not suspended the orders of the high court the respondents had to obey the court order.