ISLAMABAD: Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday restrained the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) from taking any adverse action against a deputy director general (DDG) who has challenged the recruitment process for the post of the board’s director general.

IHC Justice Aamer Farooq after preliminary hearing of the petition of DDG Mansoor Ahmed Khan issued notices to the DG Pakistan Sports Board and the officials of the ministry of Inter Provincial Coordination and adjourned the matter for second week of July.

In the petition, Mansoor contended that IHC, on his petition filed in December last year which was still pending, had declared that the induction of the DG PSB will be subject to the final decision on the writ petition.

However, the federal government in March this year appointed a retired Col Mohammad Asif Zaman as the DG PSB.

The petitioner alleged that Col Asif victimised him for pursuing the case in the constitutional court and sent him on forced leave.

His counsel argued before the court that the petitioner was not allowed rejoining of the office and the DG PSB recommended punitive action against him.

According to the counsel, the DG PSB referred the case of the petitioner’s induction in the board to the Executive Board Meeting.

He expressed apprehensions that the petitioner may be sent home for seeking justice from the court.

It may be mentioned that DDG Mansoor challenged the advertisement for filling the vacant post of the DG, published in the national press. He further pointed out that IPC has framed rules for induction on DG’s post which are ultra vires to the Constitution.

Following a wait of almost two years that saw numerous officials taking over the acting charge as director general of the PSB, the IPC ministry published an advertisement in national dailies to fill the vacant post.

The court clubbed the petition against the recruitment of DG PSB and both the petitions will be taken up in the second week of July.

Published in Dawn, June 10th, 2021