ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court on Monday reinstated the president and chairman of the National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) in their posts by setting aside an order that declared their appointments as void.

An IHC division bench comprising Chief Justice Athar Minallah and Justice Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan took up appeals of the finance ministry and NBP challenging the single-member bench’s order.

Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani of the IHC had in June last year set aside the appointments of NBP president Arif Usmani and chairman Zubair Soomro. However, the IHC division bench had in July suspended that order.

Attorney General (AGP) Khalid Jawed Khan represented the finance ministry while senior counsel Makhdoom Ali Khan appeared on behalf of Arif Usmani before the IHC division bench.

AGP Khan argued that publishing of a vacant post was not mandatory under the law and requested the court to allow Mr Usmani to resume his office till adjudication of the appeals.

Justice Kayani had declared the appointment of the NBP president as void with an observation that it was done in violation of rules as Mr Usmani possessed a degree in Physics instead of banking-related fields.

The petitioner had contended that the appointments had been made in violation of the constitutional rights that ensured equal opportunity to every citizen. The petition pointed out that Transparency International had highlighted corruption in NBP and its branches abroad were being closed.

The petition asserted that Mr Usmani did not meet the educational criteria set for the post in the advertisement issued for the purpose.

Published in Dawn, February 1st, 2022