MUZAFFARABAD, Dec 26: The Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) High Court has suspended the operation of a notification whereby a technical post in a hydropower generation project was converted by the government into a non-technical cadre, apparently to favour some blue-eyed employee.

The single member bench of acting Chief Justice Sardar Mohammad Nawaz Khan observed during the preliminary hearing that the act of the government amounted to “declaring a doctor as a lawyer or a lawyer as an engineer.”

The notification issued by the Services and General Administration Department (S&GAD) on December 5 was challenged by Engineer Mohammad Siddique Khan, deputy director M&O in the AJK Hydro Electric Board (HEB), maintaining that it divested him of his right to promotion.

According to the impugned notification, the government had approved “re-designation of the BPS-19 post of resident engineer in Jagran Hydropower Project as director (legal) in the same grade in accordance with the finance secretary’s approval.”

The petitioner maintained that the posts of resident engineer and director (legal) were related to different cadres and in view of this position its re-designation through a notification was unlawful.

He also informed the court that contrary to the contents of the notification, the matter had not been processed in the finance department, which had also been confirmed by the latter when asked by the electricity secretariat to provide its record.

The learned judge held that prima facie the grievance of the petitioner appeared to be correct and, therefore, the operation of the notification shall remain under suspension till further orders.