The Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) will file a petition for an early hearing after the Islamabad High Court (IHC) temporarily stopped it from proceeding with its fresh recruitment plans and issued a stay order on the execution of an advertisement for new posts.

According to sources, the ANF intends to inform the court about its “factual and legal position” and request that the stay order be withdrawn so that ongoing recruitment could be completed in time.

The IHC’s Justice Mohammad Azam Khan passed the order on Friday while hearing a miscellaneous petition filed by an ANF constable challenging the recruitment drive. The court ruled that the advertisement shall remain suspended until the final decision of the main petition, which has been fixed for hearing on August 22.

The court also removed objections raised by the Registrar’s Office and disposed of the miscellaneous application, though the judge clarified that the interim relief was granted without going into the merit of the case.

The petition was filed by ANF Constable Mohammad Shafiq Khan through his counsel, Advocate Mohammad Ali Raza. The Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Law, and the Director General ANF were made parties to the case.

In his petition, Constable Shafiq stated that he has been serving in the same post for the last ten years and has received no promotion despite being ranked 232 in the seniority list of 665 constables in the department. He contended that advertising new direct recruitment without first convening a meeting of the Departmental Promotion Committee is illegal.

The petitioner further argued that the ANF Service Rules have been violated to abolish the promotion rights of existing employees while facilitating direct recruitment. He also raised concerns over the induction of officers on deputation from other institutions, urging the court to restore the service structure for civilian employees.