DERA ISMAIL KHAN: The vice-chancellor of Gomal University, Prof Zafar Iqbal, has moved Dera Ismail Khan Bench of Peshawar High Court against the government’s decision to send him on 90-day forced leave.

The court has issued notices to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government and higher education department, seeking their response to the petition. The bench of Justice Sadiq Ali fixed July 6 for next hearing of the petition.

In his petition, Prof Zafar Iqbal has challenged the notification issued on June 23 by chief minister in his capacity as chancellor of Gomal University, arguing that the order to send him on 90-day forced leave was unlawful. He has requested the court to grant him appropriate legal relief.

A separate petition has also been filed by Gomal University Academic Staff Association (GUASA) to challenge the decision of placing the vice-chancellor on forced leave. The court has clubbed both the petitions.

Academic staff also challenges govt’s decision to send him on forced leave

Advocates Malik Asad and Faheem Ahmad appeared for the petitioners and argued that the decision to send the vice-chancellor on forced leave was not in accordance with law and warranted judicial review.

POWER: Seven major feeders of the 132kv Dera Ismail Khan grid station are operating beyond their capacity, raising concerns of a major technical breakdown and prolonged power outages, according to an internal emergency communication issued by Peshawar Electric Supply Company (Pesco).

The letter was issued on June 27 by resident engineer to executive engineer, saying the overloaded feeders posed a serious risk to grid’s electrical infrastructure if immediate corrective measures were not taken.

The communication, described as the first reminder and most urgent, states that each of University, Kotla Habib, CRBC, Saddar, DDA, Dal Mills and Muryali-II feeders is carrying loads of up to 400 amperes despite the fact that cables have a rated capacity of 375 amperes.

According to the letter, the excessive load has resulted in repeated tripping of feeders, disrupting power supply to consumers.

The resident engineer said that situation had become more critical because of the prevailing extreme temperatures and ongoing load management lasting from 14 to 16 hours daily. The repeated interruptions, the letter noted, were causing considerable inconvenience to consumers while placing additional stress on the grid system.

He directed the operations wing to immediately shift part of electrical load from the overloaded feeders to other 11kV feeders to reduce pressure on the system.

Pesco officials said that failure to redistribute the load promptly could damage sensitive electrical equipment at the grid station and potentially lead to a large scale technical failure.

Copies of the letter were also forwarded to superintendent engineer, executive engineer SS&TL Bannu, deputy director PDC Peshawar, relevant sub-divisional officers and deputy commissioner of Dera Ismail Khan.

Published in Dawn, July 2nd, 2026