ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday suspended a judgement pertaining to appointment of members of the medical and dental council of Pakistan Medical Commission (PMC).

PMC President Dr Arshad Taqi told Dawn that the commission had filed an intra-court appeal against the ruling of a single-member bench issued on Wednesday.

Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani of the IHC on Wednesday declared the appointment of all members of the PMC, including its president, illegal. He, however, set aside the petition against Pakistan Medical Commission Act 2020 and directed the government to make appointments strictly in accordance with law.

As a consequence, PMC President Dr Arshad Taqi, Vice President Mohammad Ali Raza, members Rashana Zafar, Tariq Ahmed Khan, Dr Rumina Hassan, Dr Asif Loya and Dr Anisur Rehman were shown the door.

Justice Kayani had declared appointment of all members of the PMC, including its president, illegal

As per the background of the case, the legislature passed the Pakistan Medical Commission Act 2020 on Sept 23, 2020, and after two days the then prime minister through a notification appointed the members of the council without following the procedure or selection criteria.

Dr Taqi said the PMC had filed the intra-court appeal on Thursday and while hearing the case Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan suspended the section of the decision of the single-member bench to disband the PMC council members.

“Because of the direction, all the members, including me, have been restored and we will continue working,” he said.

PMC on Thursday also issued a statement stating that the IHC had suspended the decision regarding disbanding of the council members.

“Earlier to this decision, IHC declared PMC Act according to the law and it cannot be challenged by any employee. PMC is working tirelessly to improve the healthcare education standards and to improve the quality of education. PMC brought a huge positive change by implementing digital system which helped reduced element of possible corruption,” it stated.

“People opposing the change tried to present the Islamabad High Court decision in their own way and tried to confuse people over which PMC made a clear statement to all stakeholders ‘not to trust any unauthenticated information’. Pakistan Medical Commission is determined to improve the healthcare standards and will keep on working on this with zeal and zest,” it stated.

Last year, the IHC had declared the appointment of certain members of the erstwhile Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) illegal. It had directed the competent authority to appoint the members on merit after advertising the posts.

But in defiance of the direction, the competent authority again appointed the same seven members of the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council without following the selection criteria.

On Wednesday, the assistant attorney general, representing the federal government, stated that the Medical Tribunal Act 2020 had been promulgated with prescribed function to provide the setting up of special judicial tribunal to efficiently and expeditiously hear and decide the disputes arising out of the matters pertaining to the medical and health sector.

Published in Dawn, April 15th, 2022