ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday removed a major hurdle in the recruitment process for thousands of government posts in the federal capital by vacating a stay order that had halted hiring in several departments, including the police.

A three-member larger bench, headed by Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfaraz Dogar and comprising Justice Khadim Hussain Soomro and Justice Raja Inaam Ameen Minhas, withdrew the restraining order issued in 2024 against recruitment under the quota system.

The stay order had particularly stalled the recruitment process for around 1,300 vacancies in the Islamabad police.

Following the court’s decision, the police department can now resume the recruitment process.

Court decision allows police and other departments to resume recruitment process

However, Assistant Inspector General (AIG) of Islamabad Police Tahir Kazim told Dawn that the department may initiate the hiring process afresh by re-advertising some 8,000 vacant posts in the national media.

He added that candidates who had appeared in the earlier recruitment drive but had since crossed the age limit would be accommodated in the new process through age relaxation.

During the hearing, Advocate General Islamabad Ayaz Shaukat, AIG Islamabad Police Tahir Kazim and DSP Legal Sajid Cheema appeared before the bench.

Chief Justice Dogar observed that recruitment had remained suspended since 2024, depriving many job seekers of employment opportunities.

“For whatever reason, recruitment has been stopped since 2024 and people are not getting jobs,” the chief justice remarked. He added that individuals from across the country had settled in Islamabad, but questions were being raised regarding their rights in the recruitment process.

The bench also questioned the petitioner’s counsel about the scope of the quota demand, asking whether the claim related to Islamabad alone or the entire country.

During the proceedings, the petitioner’s counsel, Barrister Yawar Gardezi, argued that residents holding Islamabad domicile should be granted due rights in recruitment, particularly if a provincial-style service structure for the federal capital is established.

Advocate General Ayaz Shaukat, however, contended that altering the quota system through an Islamabad High Court decision could affect people across all four provinces and might fall within the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court of Pakistan.

President of the Islamabad High Court Bar Association Wajid Gilani also appeared and said the matter primarily concerned individuals holding Islamabad domicile rather than provincial quotas.

After hearing the arguments, the bench vacated the stay order on recruitment in the police and other institutions and adjourned further proceedings.

Published in Dawn, March 17th, 2026