PESHAWAR, Jan 26: A two-member bench of the Peshawar High Court on Thursday extended an order staying appointments on posts of public prosecutors and superintendents in the Prosecution Institution here.

The bench, comprising Justice Ijazul Hassan and Justice Saleem Khan, ordered the provincial government to file comments on two writ petitions challenging recruitments on the two categories.

One petitions was filed by Shazada Khan and 27 other deputy public prosecutors while the other one was filed by an office assistant, Said Habib and others.

Petitioners claimed that an advertisement was issued by the home and tribal affairs department appeared in a local newspaper on Dec 23, 2005, seeking applications for 28 posts of public prosecutors and eight posts of office superintendents.

They contended that these posts should be filled through promotions and not through fresh recruitment.

The high court had earlier stayed the proceedings in favour of the petitioners and directed filing of comments by the provincial government.

Deputy Advocate-General Muhammad Ayaz Khan had requested the court for some time for filing the comments.

The bench accepted his request and directed that the government should positively file comments before next hearing.

The bench decided to restrain the respondents, including the home department, from continuing with the recruitment process.