ISLAMABAD, Feb 25: The Overseas Pakistanis Foundation (OPF) on Wednesday retired the principal of the OPF Girls College Islamabad, but she refused to hand the charge of her office over to the acting principal , a source in the foundation told Dawn.

The source said the retirement of the college principal, Rabia Noor, was due as she was 68 and had crossed the maximum service age of 60. Following the issuance of her retirement orders (No-38/Offrs/04), the OPF director education, Israr Khan Jamali, and Principal OPF College, Rawalpindi, Najma Mansoor, who has been given the acting charge of the OPF college, Islamabad, were sent to the college at F-8/4 to take the charge from the outgoing principal, the source said.

However, Ms Noor, who was appointed by the OPF as principal of the college in 1985, refused to hand them over the charge of her office and asked them to go back. The OPF officials also showed the college principal the orders of her retirement, but she rejected them.

The source said many attempts had also been made in the past to remove Ms Noor but she continued to work as principal due to her clout. Talking to Dawn, a high-ranking official of the OPF termed the retirement of Ms Noor a 'rightful' decision saying that it had been done on various grounds.

He said the OPF would register an FIR against the college principal for violating the foundation's orders and threatening the officials with dire consequences.

The official also accused Ms Noor of committing corruption saying that the foundation would also send the case to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

The managing-director of the OPF, Khalid Latif, said the retirement of Ms Noor was made in the light of the observations of the ministry of law and justice, Establishment Division and the defunct chief executive secretariat (CES).

The defunct CES had ordered a departmental inquiry against the college principal, proper audit of accounts of the college from the time she had separated the college from the foundation, audit of new schools opened up in the name of the OPF with Ms Noor's consent and ascertainment of their status whether or not to allow them to carry on their operations.

The CES had also ordered that if she had attained the age of 60 years, she must be relieved of her duties and a new principal be appointed. The sources said former state minister for labour Ghulam Akbar Lasi had declared Ms Noor life time principal of the college though even the president of Pakistan didn't enjoy such powers.

When contacted, Rabia Noor termed the decision of her retirement illegal. "It's a sub judice matter and the OPF management cannot retire me." She ruled out all allegations of financial irregularities levelled against her.