PHC suspends removal of PGMI CEO, halts departmental action

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Thursday suspended the removal of Postgraduate Medical Institute (PGMI) Chief Executive Officer Dr Sahibzada Mahmood Noor and stopped departmental action against him.

A division bench of the PHC comprising Justice Ijaz Anwar and Justice SM Attique Shah heard the petition filed by Dr Sahibzada Mahmood Noor through Khalid Rahman advocate.During the hearing, the petitioner’s counsel Khalid Rehman advocate informed the court that his client was the CEO of the PGMI, Hayatabad. He pleaded that this institute was responsible for assigning Trainee Medical Officers (TMOs) to various hospitals for postgraduate training. He said that the petitioner was appointed on December 1, 2022, for a period of two years.

In January 2024, he argued the institute inducted 572 TMOs into different hospitals while the remaining doctors started a protest after which the caretaker government formed a committee comprising the health minister, finance secretary, health secretary, PGMI, and young doctors.

The committee forwarded recommendations, and based on these recommendations, it was decided that the PGMI would create 190 additional seats for TMOs. The inductees on these seats would not be entitled to many of the benefits.

The counsel further explained that the matter was raised first before the chief minister and then in the provincial cabinet, where it was officially approved.He maintained that the PGMI had no role in this entire process, as they were only members of the committee. Once the 190 TMOs were inducted, they later began a strike to demand their monthly stipends. The provincial government, however, blamed the petitioner for the whole process, alleging that he had recruited more TMOs than the permitted ones.

The counsel also informed the court that later the provincial cabinet approved action against the PGMI CEO on August 29 last. He said the provincial government not only removed him from his position but also initiated proceedings against him on September 5, which was unconstitutional and illegal.

“The CEO’s tenure is going to end in December but he was removed three months prior, which has tarnished his career while the petitioner had no role in the creation of extra seats, as everything was approved by the cabinet and the chief minister,” the lawyers explained.

The finance department, he pleaded, had also raised objections on certain matters, but those objections were unfounded because the finance secretary was part of the committee. The counsel argued that it was unjust to blame only the petitioner, especially since he was neither given an opportunity to defend himself nor the action taken in accordance with the applicable laws.