PESHAWAR: A Peshawar High Court bench on Tuesday suspended the order for the transfer of the University of Peshawar’s registrar, Dr Syed Fazl-i-Hadi, by the acting vice-chancellor and sought explanation from the university’s administration on the matter.

Justice Younas Taheem and Justice Ijaz Anwar also suspended another order of the acting VC to appoint Dr Zulfiqar Ali as acting registrar after the replacement of Dr Fazl-i-Hadi.

Dr Hadi has filed a petition saying he was transferred on Feb 7 by the pro-VC and acting VC, Dr Mohammad Abid, only five days after the latter had assumed his charge.

Mian Muhibullah Kakakhel, lawyer for the petitioner, said his client was permanently appointed as UoP registrar under Section 14 of the University of Peshawar Act, 1974, through an order issued on Oct 20, 2010, and later on his services were confirmed on Oct 20, 2011.

Asks university admin for explanation on the matter

He said since the petitioner performed his duty with devotion under different VCs, there was not a single complaint against him.

The lawyer added that in the meantime the UOP Act was repealed and replaced with the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Universities Act 2012.

He said the issue of the petitioner’s appointment was raised by some of the deans in past including Dr Mohammad Abid who was dean of Faculty of Numerical and Physical sciences.

The lawyer added that the chancellor, who was also the provincial governor, had sought advice from the law department, which had opined that Dr Syed Fazl-i-Hadi had been appointed on regular basis under a statute and he had vested right to continue on regular basis till his retirement.

He said Dr Abid was recently appointed as pro-VC/acting VC of UoP and he soon transferred the petitioner on Feb 7 as director office of research innovation and commercialisation, without following the law and issued another office order whereby the duties of registrar were assigned to an assistant professor Dr Zulfiqar.

The counsel said the petitioner had challenged his transfer order but his petition was disposed of by a high court bench while asking the university’s syndicate to decide the matter.

He however said the syndicate didn’t discuss the matter during a recent meeting as it was placed as a secondary issue on its agenda.

NOTICES ISSUED: Another high court bench consisting of Justice Qaisar Rasheed and Justice Mohammad Ghazanfar Khan issued notices to the president and general secretary of Peshawar Press Club over a lawyer’s petition against the visits of government functionaries, politicians and other dignitaries to the hospitals during the acts of terrorism.

The bench ordered the office-bearers of the press club to appear on June 8 and should put forward their point of view on the issue as a large number of media persons were also present inside the hospital after bomb blasts and other acts of terrorism.

The petition is filed by Mohammad Khursheed Khan, who said after acts of terrorism, VIPs had been visiting hospitals for their publicity and thus, hampering provision of treatment to the injured.

He added that a ban should be placed on the visits of government functionaries, politicians and other VIPs to the hospital.

Deputy attorney general Mussaratullah Khan said the role of media was also important as after acts of terrorism they also visited hospitals in large number. He added that it would be appropriate to hear their point of view on the issue.

Published in Dawn, May 24th, 2017