KARACHI, Dec 29: A senior police officer has won a long-drawn-out legal battle against his dismissal from service and earned a pro forma promotion to the rank of inspector-general over three decades after his forced retirement.

Deputy inspector-general Asif Majeed was sacked in 1970 under martial law regulation 58 during the Yahya regime. He moved the Federal Service Tribunal and was reinstated with retrospective effect and consequential benefits in June 1981. The FST decision was upheld by the Supreme Court.

The DIG, who subsequently served as Pakistan's deputy high commissioner in London, had to approach the Sindh High Court for enforcement of the Supreme Court verdict in appeal in respect of his promotion from the date it became due.

An SHC division bench, comprising Chief Justice Saiyed Saeed Ashhad and Maqbool Baqar, ordered execution of the SC verdict last week and directed that the petitioner be granted pro forma promotion to grades 21 and 22 up to the rank of inspector-general.

DOCTORS' PLEA: The Sindh High Court admitted to regular hearing on Wednesday writ petitions moved by 42 doctors for regularization of their services. The petitioners submitted that they were appointed as medical officers in the Sindh Employees Social Security Institution for a two-year term, intially extendable by one year. However, the Sessi has advertized their jobs for filling them with fresh, permanent appointees.

The petitioners maintained that they were entitled to be 'regularized' as permanent employees under the Sindh Regularization of Doctors Appointed on Contract Basis Act, 2003.

They said services of some of their colleagues appointed in November 2002 like them had been regularized under the Act while they had been left high and dry. They had been allowed to continue for another three months instead of being given a year's extension as originally stipulated.

Admitting the petition, a division bench comprising Justices Wahid Bux Brohi and Mushir Alam directed that notices be issued to the AG and the respondent institution for Dec 31.

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