PESHAWAR: Issuing a stay order, the Peshawar High Court has temporarily stopped the board of governors of a major medical teaching institution in Peshawar, Hayatabad Medical Complex, from suspending or terminating its hospital director, retired Colonel Gulzar Ahmad Khan, during an ongoing inquiry against him and directed him to join the probe.

“The same [inquiry] may continue; however, order of his termination or suspension, shall not be made till the next date of hearing,” read an order issued by a bench consisting of Justice Wiqar Ahmad and Justice Inamullah Khan on Wednesday.

The court issued notices to the BoG and its chairman seeking their comments within a fortnight about a petition filed by the HD against the ongoing inquiry against him and issuance of a show cause notice to him by the board, claiming that the same was issued as he had declined to follow “illegal” directives of the BoG chairman regarding key appointments.

Senior lawyer Shumail Ahmad Butt appeared for the petitioner and said his client was appointed the hospital director to the HMC in December 2025 and he took charge of his office next month for a five-year period.

Seeks comments on HD’s petition against inquiry, show cause notice

He claimed that since the BoG chairman intended to appoint Ikramullah the finance director but the petitioner, being the head of the interview panel, didn’t recommend him for the post, the chairman developed a grudge against him.

The lawyer added that a show cause notice was later issued to the petitioner with the sole purpose of removing him from the department and curtailing his statutory tenure.

He argued that the show cause notice didn’t specify the alleged misconduct and that it was vague in nature.

The counsel claimed that the task of holding the inquiry against the petitioner was about to be given over to the persons, selected by the board chairman, from whom his client couldn’t expect “fair treatment”.

On Tuesday, the HD sent letters to the health department and anti-corruption establishment, requesting a probe into the “illegal” recruitment of supply chain managers, chief internal auditor and others.

He dispatched a similar letter to the chairman of the MTI Policy Board last week.

When contacted, the HD declined to comment on the matter and said he would extend “full cooperation” to the inquiry panel and provide it with the required information or documents.

He said the BoG was required by the law to oversee MTI but it interfered in the hospital’s affairs, which was a “major issue”.

MTI Policy Board chairman Dr Nausherwan Khan Barki insisted that since the HD was an employee of the MTI and was answerable to the board, how he could disagree with the latter.

He said that the MTIRA would be followed in MTI affairs in letter and spirit.

“We have looked at his allegations and it appears that the HD signed the very orders which he objected to afterward. We are continuing to examine the matter further,” he said.

Meanwhile, associate professor at the HMC Orthopaedic and Spine Ward Mohammad Zahid has been asked by the BoG to assume the charge of the HD on a temporary basis. Official sources at the hospital insisted that the stay order obtained by the HD was “against” the show cause notice issued to him and didn’t apply to his suspension.

Published in Dawn, July 23rd, 2026