ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has issued a stay to consider the promotion cases of additional directors for the post of director.
The Drug Regulatory Aauthority Pakistan (DRAP) board, which comprised the National Health Services (NHS) secretary and joint secretary and representatives of the Establishment Division and the Ministry of Law and Justice, were scheduled to meet on last week of February.
lHC Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb after a preliminary hearing of a petition filed by a grade 20 DRAP officer restrained the board from holding the meeting until further orders.
The court also sought a response from the DRAP Chief Executive Officer and the NHS and establishment secretaries in a fortnight.
The petitioner Dr Abdul Rasheed through his lawyer Ali Nawaz Kharal adopted before the court that DRAP consists of employees of its own as well as civil servants. The counsel pointed out that there is no equal opportunity for DRAP employees and civil servants, adding that the board was scheduled to consider junior DRAP officials while ignoring senior civil servants.
The counsel told the court that the DRAP rules have not yet been framed but that under section 7(m), 14(1) and 15(5) of the DRAP Act the authority could frame the rules with the approval of the cabinet.
He claimed the authority amended the Employees Service Regulations without the approval of the federal government and asked the court to declare the relevant Statutory Regulatory Order (SRO) illegal. He also asked that directions may be issued to the relevant authorities to consider the cases of all the employees working at DRAP.
-DN Report
Dr Muattar Hanif
The author is Editor at Dental News Pakistan and can be reached at newsdesk@medicalnewsgroup.com.pk
