ISLAMABAD, Feb 21: The Islamabad High Court on Tuesday stayed the posting of 10 newly-selected community welfare attachés at Pakistani missions abroad.
Justice Noorul Haq N. Qureshi also directed the respondents - the minister and secretary overseas Pakistanis and the Establishment Division - to file reply on the petition filed by Abrarul Haq Shami, challenging the selection of the influential persons as community welfare officers abroad. The court adjourned the hearing till March 13.
According to the notification issued by the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis, Punjab governor’s son Sardar Balakh Sher Khosa was appointed as community welfare officer in the Pakistani High Commission, London.
The other appointees were: Moinuddin of Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) appointed as community welfare attaché in Riyadh; DG project coordination unit, Peshawar, Mazharul Haq Kakakhel at Jeddah; deputy collector Haroon Waqar Malik at Kuwait; deputy commissioner income tax Fiza Batool at Malaysia; deputy commissioner inland revenue Amir Rehman at Tripoli; deputy managing director Punjab Small Industries Corporation Maqsood Qadir Shah (brother of district and sessions judge Sialkot Mehboob Qadir Shah) at Bahrain; Mohammad Aslam Ghauri at Barcelona, National Bank’s officer Syed Tahseenul Haq at Jeddah and Syed Azhar Raza Hashmi from the private sector at Doha.
Advocate G.M. Chaudhry, the petitioner's counsel, told the court that in April last year the Establishment Division circulated for selection of government officers for posting as CWAs and set the criteria for the posts as BPS-17, 18 and 19 with three to five years experience in management/field work or labour/manpower administration. The minister for overseas Pakistanis was made the chairman of the Special Selection Board (SSB).
He contended that being part of the cabinet and responsible for policy making, the minister could not be included in SSB.
He alleged that the secretary ministry of overseas even included the names of such persons who did not appear in the interview.
The petition alleged that the newly-appointed attaches from banking and private sector were not entitled to be included as candidates.
It requested the court to declare the selection of the attachés as illegal and direct the respondents to fill the vacant positions through the Federal Public Service Commission. It also requested the court for an impartial inquiry into the selection process.