PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court on Friday directed the provincial government to produce a report about compliance with its orders to fix quota for the promotion of sub-divisional officers (SDOs) in the communication and works department.

A bench consisting of Justice Roohul Amin Khan and Justice Mohammad Ijaz Khan directed additional advocate general Arshad Ahmad to produce that report by Nov 10 and adjourned the hearing into a contempt petition filed by SDO Shaukatullah Shah.

The petitioner said a high court bench had decided a petition on March 24, 2022, ordering the provincial government to ensure that the relevant committee finalise its recommendations in 60 daysfor 20 per cent quota to promote SDOs with B-Tech (Hons) degrees as executive engineer (BPS-18) in the C&W department.

He, however, claimed that the committee had been delaying action on the court’s orders, so scores of SDOs suffered.

Petitioner claims SDOs suffering due to delay in recommendations on matter

AAG Arshad Ahmad produced the minutes of the Standing Service Rules Committee’s meeting (SSRC) held on Sept 16 that revealed that the relevant draft rules had been approved and sent to the law department for vetting.

He said a draft notification had also been sent to the law department and that the rules were likely to be notified within a few days.

The petitioner’s counsel, Abdul Rauf Rohaila, said his client and several other sub-divisional officers of the C&W department held degree of B-Tech (Hons) and had filed a petition in 2021 in the high court.

He said the main petition had sought the court’s directions for respondents, including provincial government, to reserve 20 per cent quota for promotion to the post of executive engineer (BPS-18) on the pattern of some other government departments, including irrigation, energy and power, and public health engineering.

Mr Rohaila said the court was informed that a committee had been constituted through a notification on Sept 7, 2021, for finalising recommendations in this regard.

He said the high court, in its order, had observed that one of the TORs of the said committee was to finalise its recommendations for perusal of the competent authority within 30 days.

The lawyer said the court had further observed that despite passage of eight months the said committee had not finalised its recommendations.

He said the court had ordered the committee to finalise its recommendations within 60 days positively.

Mr Rohaila claimed that a meeting of a high-level committee was held on April 20, 2022, which unanimously recommended that communication and works departments may review its existing rules by providing opportunity of promotion to B-Tech (Hons) degree holders in line with rules of other departments.

He contended that a meeting of the SSRC (standing services rules committee) was adjourned on Aug 5 with no next date given.

The lawyer said the committee, in accordance with the court’s orders, had to put those recommendations forwardby the end of May.

Published in Dawn, October 29th, 2022