ZUBAIR QURESHI
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has summoned officials including Federal Secretary Health, Joint Secretary, Deputy Commissioner (DC) Islamabad, ICT Magistrate and Station House Officer (SHO) Police Station Ramna in a contempt petition moved by Pakistan Medical & Dental Council (PMDC) Registrar Registrar Brigadier (R) Hafizuddin Siddiqui. The petitioner has moved against the officials for refusing to let him in the PMDC office despite an order by the Islamabad High Court (IHC). On Monday Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kiyani directed these officials to appear before the court on Tuesday (today) in person and explain why the court’s orders were not followed in letter and spirit. The IHC on April 1, 2020 had directed the government to reinstate the Registrar of the PMDC and pay the outstanding dues to all the employees of the PMDC due for the last three months. The government however, despite an order by the court, didn’t issue Siddiqui’s letter as Registrar of the council. It rather directed the security guards deputed at the council’s gate to send him back upon arrival. During the course of the hearing, Monday, the counsels for the petitioner, Barrister Zafarullah Khan and Advocate Umer Sajjad, submitted that IHC had declared presidential ordinance of establishing Pakistan Medical Commission (PMC) by dissolving PMDC ultra vires on February 11 and had restored the status of PMDC. However, despite clear orders by the court, the government was still reluctant to comply with the court’s orders and was using delaying tactics in reinstating the council’s registrar and the employees. The petitioner made Ministry of National Health Services Regulations and Coordination Federal Secretary Tanvir Ahmad Qureshi, Joint Secretary Saeedullah Khan Niazi, Section Officer Ali Raza, Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) Deputy Commissioner (DC) Hamza Shafqat, ICT Magistrate Ali Javed and Ramna Police Station SHO Khurshid as respondents in the matter. Barrister Zafarullah Khan apprised the bench that all the respondents were willfully defying the court’s orders, adding after the restoration of the PMDC, his client had invoked the court’s jurisdiction by moving another contempt plea in the same matter. Later talking to media outside the court, Barrister Khan said the dysfunctional status of the medical educational regulatory body had adverse impact on the entire field of medicine. “As many as 15,000 doctors are in queue to get their medical degrees validated,” he added. He said that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Punjab governments had also invited applications from doctors in order to fight the spread of coronavirus but the PMDC’s current status was the major stumbling block.
