ISLAMABAD: Justice Riaz Ahmed Khan of Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday issued notices to Lt-Gen Zaheerul Islam, the director general of the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI), and other government functionaries on a contempt of court petition filed by four civilian officials of the spy agency.

In their petition, junior analysts Sajjad Ali, Shahid Dilawar, Mohammad Shafiq and Gul Dad contended that they had been working in BPS-18 on contractual basis but despite directions of the court the respondents were not regularising their services.

The court also issued notices to other respondents - Lt-Gen (retired) Asif Yasin Malik, the secretary defence, Taimur Azmat Usman, the secretary establishment, and Syed Khursheed Ahmed Shah, the chairman of the cabinet sub-committee on regularisation of contractual employees.

Shoaib Shaheen, the counsel for the ISI officials, contended that on December 31, 2012, while deciding petitions filed by contractual staff of a number of departments and ministries the court had ordered the federal government to regularise the services of over 1,000 employees, including the four ISI officials.

He said like other departments, the respondents were given one month for finalisation of the process for regularisation of the petitioners’ services.

“But the respondents have failed to implement the orders of the court and no formal orders have been issued so far by the establishment division,” he added.

He said the act of the authorities was tantamount to contempt of court and the respondents should be proceeded against under the contempt of court law.

The petitioners contended that they joined the spy agency about seven years back after completing all formalities.

Their contractual job was limited to five years and extendable. The court after hearing the arguments adjourned the matter till March 14.

In another case regarding the regularisation of services of two Capital Development Authority officials, the court observed that the cabinet sub-committee was the authority to decide the matter.

A CDA counsel told the court that the officials had fraudulently entered their names in the list provided to the cabinet committee.

He said the CDA had not forwarded their names to the committee because they did not meet the criteria.

He alleged that in connivance with the officials of the cabinet division the two petitioners had managed to add their names in the list.

Justice Khan remarked that the government departments would not be allowed to adopt a pick and choose policy, adding it was the prerogative of the committee to decide the fate of the contractual employees.

The court on Thursday also disposed of over 90 petitions filed by about 500 contractual employees after the cabinet and establishment divisions authorities said the services of the petitioners had been regularised.