PHC seeks explanation for sacking 800 warders

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Wednesday restrained the provincial government from fresh appointment to the posts of jail warders and asked the authorities to explain removal of 800 employees from the job without reasons.
A two-member bench comprising Justice Waqar Ahmad Seth and Justice Musarrat Hilali admitted the writ petition of about 400 freshly appointed jail warders against their removal from job.
The court also issued notice to secretary Home and Tribal Affairs, KP, Inspector General Prisons and Superintendent Jail, Peshawar, to explain their position on removal of the petitioners from the job on the next hearing.
The sacked employees had challenged cancellation of their appointments at the Prisons Department by the provincial government. The action was taken by the government after drawing criticism on the alleged irregularities by the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf members of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly.
During hearing of the petition, Muhammad Ijaz Khan Sabi, counsel for the petitioners, requested the court to direct respondents to withdraw the impugned order and allow petitioners to join duty as per their initial appointment order.
The impugned order was issued after the issue was raised in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly by a group of disgruntled PTI Members Provincial Assembly. They had charged adviser to the chief minister on prisons Malik Mohammad Qasim with making irregularities in the appointments. They had also raised the issue in a meeting with PTI chief Imran Khan.
Meanwhile, the PHC on Wednesday sought report on death of a missing detainee from in-charge of interment centre and Commissioner of Kohat, directing to explain reasons for the death in custody.
A two-member bench comprising Chief Justice Mazhar Alam Miankhel and Justice Muhammad Daud Khan issued the notice to in-charge of the internment centre and Commissioner Kohat after a relative Saeed Gul complaint that he wanted reasons for the death of Almaruddin in the custody.
The bench also sought oversight board report in a case two other detainees. They were Ghafaruddin and Afsaruddin, whom the petitioner Saeed Gul claimed, had been in the custody of the Thall Scouts for the last two years.
Saeed Gul claimed in the petition that his three relatives—Almaruddin, Ghafaruddin and Afsaruddin—residents of Thall in Hangu district, were picked up by the security forces some two years ago after a suicide blast in Hangu, some three kilometers off their house.
He said that he received the body of Almaruddin on March 6, 2014 while the remaining two were still in the custody of the Thall Scouts.
During course of hearing of detainees cases, Principal Staff Officer to Commissioner of Kohat informed the bench that the internees, who had been declared grey have not been released from the internment centres even after rehabilitation process. He said various options were under process about the fate of the grey detainees.
However, the bench disposed of the petition of Mian Ajab Khan after the oversight board declared the detainee Bismillah Khan as grey languishing in the internment centre in Kohat. The bench also disposed of another missing detainee’s, Amirzada, case after receiving oversight board report declaring him black (hardcore militant).