January 30, 2008	Wednesday	Muharram 20, 1429

RAWALPINDI, Jan 29: Lahore High Court (LHC) Rawalpindi bench here on Tuesday modified its previous injunction allowing the OPF administration to fill vacancies other than the posts held by contract teachers.

Justice Mohammad Muzammal Khan hearing the plea of 82 OPF teachers for regularisation of their services directed the OPF administration to make new appointments on vacant seats but maintain status quo on the posts held by teachers.

The status quo was awarded after the teachers moved the court against the decision of the OPF administration to induct new teachers.

State counsel on Tuesday argued that some of the teachers had been removed from the services under Removal from Service Ordinance. The defence lawyer, however, denied the argument and said according to the constitution of Pakistan no employer could dictate his terms to his employee.

According to the writ petition filed by OPF teachers a total number of 202 staff members, mostly female teachers, were affected when OPF published an advertisement in the national press on February 4, 2007 for the new appointment of teachers on contract basis.

Female teachers previously working with OPF were asked to appear in the test as fresh candidates. Contracts of these teachers were to be expired in April 2007 and most of them had already become over-age at the time of publication of the advertisement and could not qualify for the test.

According to the petitioners, they had been appointed in the OPF during last fifteen years on contract basis at different occasions.

They had been getting extensions in their contracts and continued serving with the idea that they would be regularised, and in March 2005 then Federal Minister for Labour and Manpower visited the OPF Girls College F-8/2 and categorically assured the teachers about the regularisation of their services but nothing happened.

Female teachers of OPF locked horns with the administration earlier last year and protested in front of parliament house to get their demands met. Later they filed a writ petition with the LHC and obtained a stay order against their removal.