ISLAMABAD: The acting director general of Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) has suspended the officer who filed a petition in Islamabad High Court (IHC) against postings and transfers in the board and secured a stay order.

A senior official alleged that the acting Director General Zahoor Ahmed ‘overturned’ the restraining order.

IHC Justice Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan on April 17 suspended the notification regarding postings and transfers in the PSB.

Nadeem Irshad Kayani, secretary Inter-Provincial Coordination (IPC), the administrative ministry of the board, on April 4 issued the posting/transfer order of accounts officer Hibatul Saboor as director finance, assistant engineer Ijaz Akbar from IPC to PSB and assistant engineer Sarfraz Rasul from PSB to the IPC.

These orders were issued when the then PSB director general Shoaib Khoso was on ex-Pakistan leave. Mr Rasul challenged the notification in the IHC upon return of Mr Khoso.

Justice Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan after preliminary hearing issued the stay order against the postings along with a notice to the PSB and adjourned further proceeding till June 25.

Mr Khoso was removed from the post of the director general on April 19 and additional secretary Zahoor Ahmed was assigned the additional charge of the PSB.

The acting DG withdrew the April 4 notification and reissued another office order and assigned the posts of director finance and assistant engineer to Ms Hiba and Mr Akbar again. He however suspended Mr Rasul till further orders.

A senior official of the PSB alleged that the PSB authorities dodged the judicial order and took action similar to the deputy commissioner Islamabad for which he was convicted of contempt of court.

It may be mentioned that Justice Babar Sattar had tried the deputy commissioner and the senior superintendent of police under the contempt of court law for issuing the detention order of PTI leaders Sheharyar Afridi and Shandana Gulzar. When the court struck down these orders, the DC re-issued the detention orders to linger on their incarceration.

Justice Sattar subsequently convicted DC Irfan Nawaz Memon, senior superintendent of police Malik Jameel Zafar and the station house officer (SHO) Margalla police station for contempt of court and sentenced them to six, four and two months imprisonment, respectively.

When contacted, additional secretary Zahoor Ahmed, who is also the acting DG of PSB, said the case of posting and transfer in the board was different than the DC’s case.

He said the petitioner had challenged the notification issued during the look-after charge in the PSB when DG Khoso was abroad.

He said after the removal of Mr Khoso, the Establishment Division notified him as the acting DG and by virtue of his office he was empowered for posting/transfer from the IPC to PSB and vice versa. He however said the suspension of Mr Rasul had nothing to do with the pending petition as he was suspended in an entirely different scenario.

Published in Dawn, May 10th, 2024