ISLAMABAD, Feb 12: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday summoned secretary cabinet division Nargis Sethi, federal minister and chairman regularisation committee Khursheed Shah and secretary establishment division Taimur Azmat in a contempt of court petition.

They have been asked to submit reply within 20 days and appear before the court for not complying with the court orders concerning regularisation of services of five assistant directors of the National Education Foundation (NEF).

Justice Noorul Haq N. Qureshi of the IHC issued these orders while hearing a contempt of court petition filed by the NEF assistant/deputy director.

The petitioner, Dr Najeeb, through their counsel Umair Baloch advocate, informed the court that Justice Mohammad Azim Khan Afridi of the IHC had ordered the NEF on Sept 27, 2012 to forward their cases for regularisation to the cabinet division, which was directed to regularise services of these officials.

The petitioners later filed a contempt of court application when the respondents did not comply with its orders. On Jan 21, 2013 an IHC bench had issued notices and directed the respondents to submit reply within 15 days. Second orders of the court were also ignored.

Advocate Baloch told the court that the IHC bench had directed the government to regularise services of these officials within three months as per regularisation policy announced by the prime minister, under which all employees with one year government service had to be regularised.

The government, however, is yet to implement the decision, the counsel argued. The court summoned the relevant officers and put off hearing till first week of March.