July 30, 2008	Wednesday	Rajab 26, 1429

ISLAMABAD, July 29: The Federal Service Tribunal has issued notice to secretary Pakistan Medical and Dental Council to appear before it on Wednesday in connection with a petition filed against him by the council.

The petition was filed on July 26 by the PMDC secretariat seeking cancellation of stay orders issued by the FST and the Islamabad High Court against repatriation of the secretary, Dr Sohail Kareem Hashmi, to the ministry of health.

The PMDC says it had relieved Dr Hashmi and repatriated him to the ministry of health. However, Dr Hashmi moved the LHC and the FST and got stay orders against the move.

In a press release, the PMDC alleged that Dr Hashmi was facing charges of financial, administrative and legal irregularities including acts of collusive fraud.

It claimed that during the period when Dr Hashmi was holding the charge of the secretary, it was brought to the knowledge of the government that the council and its office-bearers were persistently violating the provisions of Medical and Dental Ordinance 1962.

“Despite repeated warnings of the health ministry, the working of the council and its office-bearers was not brought in conformity with the law. The prime minister ordered a commission of inquiry comprising among others a serving judge of the Sindh High Court,” the press release said.

“The commission upheld all the charges in its report. The council formally charged Dr Hashmi and ordered a departmental inquiry, which established that Dr Hashmi had blatantly and persistently violated the rules and regulations and was liable to misconduct and abuse of power.”

It said it was further established that he appointed 14 individuals on various posts without having any competency to do so and in the process deliberately and wilfully abused his powers to appoint these individuals without advertisements in violation of the rules set out by the Supreme Court of Pakistan. It has also been established that he and his family were misusing official cars of the council.

On the orders of the executive committee of the council, a report has been lodged with the police station Shalimar on the grounds of collusive fraud and misrepresentation. As a result of the inquiry, it was also established that Dr Hashmi had drawn millions of rupees on account of TA/DA without any sanction.

When contacted, Dr Hashmi told Dawn that the commission of inquiry was constituted by the PM under section 35 of PMDC Ordinance 1962 against the council, not against him.

“The word secretary used in the report of the commission of inquiry does not mean it was related to me, because the previous secretary was arrested by National Accountability Bureau and was released after a plea bargaining of over Rs65 million, and a house located in sector F-10/2 worth Rs35 million was also removed from him. The recommendation of the commission of inquiry has never been implemented, he added.

Besides, he said, all appointments made by him were done after following the due course and approval of the president and PMDC.