PESHAWAR : Peshawar High Court Wednesday suspended a writ a petition challenging appointment of three advisers and two special assistants to chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
A division bench comprising Justice Ikramullah and Justice Musarrat Hilali, in its decision on a writ petition filed by MPA Khushdil Khan of ANP, declared the appointments of the advisers and special assistants as per the constitution.
Advocate General Abdul Latif Yousafzai and Additional Advocate General Waqar Ahmad defended appointments of advisers and specials assistants.
It merits mentioning here that MPA Khushdil Khan, through a writ petition, had challenged their appointments in PHC and called for their termination under Article 129 of the Constitution.
The court had fixed June 26 for the next hearing with the direction that respondents, including the KP governor and the chief minister through their principal secretaries, and the five advisers and special assistants should file comments.
The bench had directed that notifications issued on Sept 13, 2018, and Jan 22, 2019, through which the said five appointments had been made, should remain suspended till further orders.
The advisers and special assistants whom appointments were challenged in the court included Ziaullah Bangash, Adviser to the CM on Elementary and Secondary Education; Hamayatullah Khan, Adviser on Energy and Power; Abdul Karim Khan, Special Assistant on Industries and Commerce and Kamran Khan Bangash, Special Assistant on Science and Technology and Information Technology.
Talking to media, Adviser to CM Ajmal Wazir termed the decision of PHC historic and said opposition should feel shame on themselves over the writ petition. He said the opposition was trying to create hurdles for elected government from executing projects of public welfare.