ISLAMABAD: Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) Director General (DG) Shahnaz Riaz submitted a response to the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday, after a show cause notice was issued to her for showing ‘disrespect’ to the court.

IHC Justice Noor-ul-Haq N. Qureshi issued bailable arrest warrants for Riaz on August 24, and she did not appear before the court for the hearing of a petition filed for the recovery of Rs1.2 million by a furniture supplier.

Riaz was arrested a day later, but was later released after surety bonds worth Rs50,000 were provided.

Justice Qureshi also issued her a show cause notice, and sought her response on Friday. In her response, Riaz stated before the court that she had cleared the outstanding amount of the supplier in compliance with the court order.

Riaz claimed that her absence from the hearing of the petition was not deliberate, saying that she was in a meeting of the standing committee and that her mobile phone was switched off, hence she was not in contact with her staff.

Justice Qureshi directed the Islamabad advocate general, Mian Abdul Rauf, to submit the call records of Ms Riaz, and proof of her attendance in the meeting, and adjourned the hearing of the show cause notice until September 14.

The petition was filed by a furniture supplier who furnished certain FDE schools in 2012, but the FDE did not clear the payment, at which the supplier filed a petition in the IHC.

Published in Dawn, August 29th, 2015

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