PESHAWAR, Dec 21: The Peshawar High Court on Tuesday admitted two writ petitions for to full hearing challenging the admission given to NWFP health minister's brother to Khyber Medical College.

A two-member bench comprising Justice Tariq Pervez and Justice Dost Mohammad observed that the points raised by the petitioners needed consideration. The court issued notices to the respondents including the Joint Admission Committee of medical colleges and Kifayatullah, the brother of the minister, Enayatullah Khan.

The petitioners, Rafiullah Khan and Mohammad Ayub, stated that the admission given to Kifayatullah Khan was illegal and against the law. KIfayatullah was given admission on a seat reserved for the backward area of Lower Dir district.

Rafiullah stated that the provincial health secretary issued a corrigendum in the prospectus of the medical colleges through which the policy for admission against reserved seats for backward areas was changed in an arbitrary manner so as to provide admission to Kifayatullah.

The second petitioner, Mohammad Ayub, stated that after the change in the policy he deserved to be admitted against the reserved seat, but the admission committee provided admission to Kifayatullah.

Advocate Abdul Lateef Afridi appeared for the petitioner and argued that the change in the admission policy was illegal and against various judgments of the superior courts.

He contended that under the policy mentioned on Page 12 of the prospectus of the medical colleges in the NWFP, only those male candidates were eligible against seats reserved for backward areas who had passed FSC (Pre-medical) Part I and Part II examinations from that backward district.

He argued that the health secretary on Oct 26 issued a corrigendum whereby the policy was changed and it was mentioned that those candidates were eligible for admission who had done their education in the backward area.

He stated that the candidate Kifayatullah, son of Buzarg Jameel, had passed Part I examination from Islamia College Peshawar, whereas he passed Part II examination from Dir.