ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has removed its registrar Sajid Baloch as another officer of Pakistan Administrative Service (PAS) Farhan Aziz Khawaja is likely to replace him.

The establishment division on Tuesday issued a notification for the transfer of Mr Baloch, a PAS officer of BS-21, from the IHC to the National Vocational and Technical Training Commission as its executive director.

The commission works under the Federal Education and Professional Training Division.

According to the notification, Mr Baloch has been posted to the commission on deputation for three years.

Mr Baloch was facing contempt proceeding before the Supreme Court over his ‘casual’ attitude to comply with the direction for removing the structures of courts illegally built on a private land in F-8 Markaz.

The contempt of court notice was issued by a two-member SC bench, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Gulzar Ahmed, while hearing a petition filed by Islamabad High Court Bar Association president Zahid Mehmood Raja, seeking review of the apex court’s direction to the CDA for removal of illegal chambers from the football ground in F-8.

The CJP had remarked that the IHC registrar Sajid Baloch did not take the direction for demolishing the illegal structures of the courts seriously and left the matter to junior officers.Farhan Aziz Khawaja, a PAS officer of BS-21, was posted to the National School of Public Policy on March 22, 2021. He is a law graduate and holds a master degree in history. He has mostly served in Punjab.

Last week, the IHC administration appointed Kamran Bashart Mufti, who was an officer on special duty (OSD), as the district and sessions judge (west), Islamabad.

Mr Mufti has served in Islamabad judiciary as an additional district and sessions judge and remained the presiding officer of the Intellectual Property Tribunal as well.

He replaced Tahir Mehmood Khan who was posted as Member Inspection Team (MIT) in BS-21 at the Islamabad High Court.

According to a notification, Syed Ahtesham Ali was transferred from MIT and appointed as director Research Centre and director general Human Rights Cell. He will also supervise all projects of the IHC.

Published in Dawn, July 7th, 2021