MULTAN: Secretary Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department on Thursday filed a civil miscellaneous application with the Lahore High Court Multan Bench for early hearing and vacation of an interim/stay in the favour of chief executive officer (CEO) district health authority (DHA) Multan Dr Munawar Abbas who was suspended from service by the chief minister.

As per the application, Dr Abbas was posted CEO Multan on July 18, 2018, and a departmental inquiry was initiated against him under Punjab Employees, Efficiency, Discipline and Accountability Act, 2006, by the CM on Feb 2, 2020 while appointing secretary labour Sarah Aslam as inquiry officer.

The services of Dr Abbas were placed under suspension through another order on the same day on allegations of misconduct, mismanagement, favouritism and corruption.

The application stated that Dr Abbas had filed the petition against his suspension, which was disposed of by the court with direction to competent authority to reexamine the matter and till the decision while the suspension orders would remain suspended.

The applicant alleged that Dr Abbas was given an opportunity of personal hearing but he did not appear before the inquiry officer. He stated that another inquiry against Dr Abbas has also been initiated by the Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) and he was relieved from the post with the direction to report the department on May 1; however he did not report to the department while he did not inform the department of his absence due to the Covid-19.

He stated that additional charge of the post was given to Dr Saleem Akhtar Leghari who assumed it on the same day while later on Dr Arshad Malik was appointed as CEO on May 14 who also assumed the charge on June 25.

The applicant requested the high court for early hearing and vacation of interim/stay order in favour of Dr Abbas on July 15.

After the court suspended the suspension orders, on July 19 Dr Abbas along with a computer operator Irfan Luthar, driver Rehan and an unknown key-maker allegedly went to the office of CEO, broke the locks, stole the files and an official vehicle.

An FIR in this regard was lodged with Old Kotwali Police Station on the complaint of a guard of the CEO office.

Dr Malik said that as he was not the party to the petition and action taken by Dr Abbas was illegal. Saying that there was a proper procedure to take the charge of a post and relinquish it and alleged that instead of adopting the procedure, Dr Abbas committed crime by forcibly entering the office and taking the files and vehicle.

Dr Abbas, however, said as the court had suspended his suspension order, he was the CEO and rejoining his office was not a crime. He said that he had sent his joining report to the DC, commissioner and the secretary health.

“I am a Covid-19 patient, dependent on oxygen and getting ICU treatment since July 6. I had planned to go on leave for two months because of my health condition after joining. I am being punished and defamed and even an FIR has been lodged against me despite the fact that I was infected with the virus while performing my duty,” he said.

Published in Dawn, July 26th, 2020