ISLAMABAD: Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday stayed the test and interviews of the gazetted officers who were regularised through a cabinet committee headed by Pakistan Peoples Party leader Syed Khursheed Shah.

The stay has been granted by a single bench consisting of Justice Raja Inaam Ameen Minhas. The petition was filed by 128 health professionals, headed by Dr Asfandyar Khan, through Advocates Muhammad Ahsan Bhoon and Raja Saif ur Rehman.

Dr Asfandyar Khan, while talking to Dawn, said that employees secured their first victory in the form of interim relief from the IHC.

“We were initially appointed on a contract basis between 2005 and 2011 against vacant posts and were later regularised on the recommendations of the Khursheed Shah Committee, constituted to address the regularisation of contract employees. Over the years, many of us were promoted by two to three tiers.

He added: “Our subsequent promotions were put on hold in light of the Establishment Division’s Office Memoranda (OM) dated 19.03.2025 and 03.07.2025, which further required us to appear before Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC) examinations to reassess our suitability, despite having rendered 15 to 20 years of dedicated service.”

“Feeling aggrieved, we approached the Islamabad High Court, seeking suspension of the said OMs and annulment of the Establishment Division’s decision. The Court has now granted interim relief, suspending the controversial OMs, marking a significant breakthrough for the affected health professionals. Now we can work with a peace of mind,” Dr Asfandyar Khan stated.

On the other hand, a teacher, wishing not to be quoted, said that the employees of over a dozen ministries, along with teachers, were regularised by the committee. However, after serving for almost two decades, they were told to appear in a test and interview, which would be conducted by the FPSC.

It is worth mentioning that during the PPP government in 2008-13, the cabinet subcommittee headed by Syed Khursheed Shah was established for the regularisation of daily wage and contract employees. Over tens of thousands of employees were regularised in dozens of ministries and divisions.

Yet, last year, the Supreme Court ordered the authorities to restart the process under FPSC as the employees were regularised without tests and interviews.

The majority of employees, regularised by the cabinet subcommittee, were non-gazetted, so they did not need to be referred to the FPSC.

Moreover, a bill titled ‘The Protection of Rights of Regularised Civil Servants and Employees Bill, 2024’ has been introduced by Syed Khursheed Shah, and once the bill sails through the parliament, there will be no need for the tests and interviews.

Moreover, the matter involves no additional financial burden on the exchequer, as all employees were regularised against sanctioned posts with allocated budgets and have been serving in the positions they were regularised since then.

Published in Dawn, September 18th, 2025