The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday declared the appointment of PIMS Executive Director (ED) Dr Riaz Warraich null and void.
Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui passed the order while hearing a petition filed by PIMS Joint Executive Director Dr Altaf Hussain against the appointment of Dr Riaz as ED PIMS and directed the establishment division to appoint a new E D of the institute.
During the course of hearing, Shuaib Shaheen, counsel for Dr Hussain, apprised the bench that being a dentist he was not qualified to become the ED of the institute.
Shaheen argued that the previous government had paved the way for the appointment of Dr Warraich as the vice chancellor of the new university.
According to Shaheen, a medical specialist, cardiologist and orthopedic surgeon can only be appointed as the head of PIMS and vice chancellor of the ZAB University.
Dr Hussain’s lawyer, Shuaib Shaheen, told the court that the requirements for Dr Warraich’s current position were to be an MBBS with certain specialisations and a minimum of 22 years of experience in public health.
“Dr Warraich holds a Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) degree and has only a teaching experience,” he added.
Shaheen contended that the post of PIMS Executive Director was of Grade BPS-21 for which the required qualification was MBBS with specialization in some selected fields.
He requested the court to set aside the appointment of Dr Warraich as PIMS ED.