The appointment of Umar Amin, son of Islamabad Inspector General Police (IGP) Bani Amin as Islamabad Bomb Disposal Squad director has been challenged in the Islamabad High Court (IHC).
The petition was field by former Bomb Disposal Sqaud Director Major (r) Muhammad Tabassum, who served the post for seven years. In March 2013, the IGP did not extend the contract and appointed his son Umar Amin in Tabassum’s place.
Major (r) Tabassum – who is internationally renowned for his command on handling explosive and has been represented Pakistan in various countries to deliver lectures on this subject – challenged Amin’s appointment and moved the court through his counsel Farooq Ahmad Seemab.
He was appointed as BDS director after open competition for the job was advertised in the media.
The petitioner has around 27 years of experience and he is author of book titled Bomb Disposal Squad. On the other hand, the IGP appointed his son on the basis of only a week’s experience.
In his petition, Tabassum made the interior secretary, Islamabad IGP, Islamabad chief commissioner and Islamabad BDS Special Branch Director Umar Amin as respondents.
The petitioner contended that the appointment of Amin was against the prescribed recruitment rules and accepted norms being ineligible and unqualified for the said post.
He added that he had been working as the BDS director in BPS-18 on contract basis for the last seven years and was fully eligible to be appointed the BDS director on permanent basis.
Tabassum argued that Amin was neither qualified nor had such expertise at all required for the post.
He said the action of the respondents leading to the appointment of Amin was void ab initio being mala fide and motivated by vested interest, as he was directly related to the IGP.
He prayed the court issue an order in the nature of mandamus quashing the decision of the IGP. He further prayed that the respondents may be directed to consider him for filling up the post on merit.
