PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court on Tuesday stayed the process to appoint the Khyber Medical College principal.

The stay order by issued by a bench consisting of Justice Nisar Hussain and Justice Waqar Ahmad Seth during the hearing into a petition of KMC anatomy department’s head Dr Qaisar, who has challenged the qualification for the principal’s post.

The bench consisting of Justice Nisar Hussain and Justice Waqar Ahmad Seth fixed Feb 3 for the next hearing into the petition and sought comments from the respondents, including the Pakistan Medical and Dental College, provincial government through the chief secretary, provincial health secretary and chairman of the relevant board of governors.

Mian Muhibullah Kakakhel, lawyer for the petitioner, said on Jan 3, the provincial government had published an advertisement in newspapers for the appointment of KMC principal.

He said his client was on No 6 on the seniority list of the KMC professors.

The lawyer said when his client tried to apply for the said post, the relevant committee didn’t receive the application on the ground that his qualification was short of the one mentioned in the advertisement.

He said the qualification mentioned for a candidate was that he or she should be an MRCP or FRCP, whereas his client had done MPhil, which was much higher qualification than the one given in the advertisement.

Mr Mohibullah said the qualification given in the advertisement was aimed at benefitting an individual close to key men of the government.

He said the doctor in question was a civil servant and was not entitled to become the KMC principal. The lawyer said his client fulfilled the qualification set by the PMDC and the government couldn’t go beyond that.

He said even under the Medical Teaching Institutions Reforms Act, 2015, the PMDC rules had to be followed in such issues.

The lawyer said the post of the principal should be filled from among senior KMC professors and not from outsiders.

Published in Dawn, January 20th, 2016