LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Tuesday suspended the termination of 11 upper cadre contract employees - Muhammad Sarfraz and others working in the immigration and passport headquarters and sought replies from the respondents within fortnight.

Earlier, the petitioners counsel argued that his clients had been appointed after meeting requisite criteria.

He said initially the petitioners were issued one-year contracts, which the government kept extending on the basis of satisfactory performance.

He said the petitioners despite fulfilling the complete process of the recruitment at the time of their appointment were directed to undergo and pass a written test.

He said, the petitioners successfully passed the written test contended by the Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC).

He said the FPSC wrote a letter to the secretary interior ministry declaring 18 candidates including the petitioners ineligible on the pretext that they did not fulfill the criteria for regularization.

The counsel said the interior secretary issued the termination order of the petitioners and other officers accordingly.

He argued that the impugned orders of the FPSC and the secretary interior ministry were unlawful and in sheer violation of the law settled by the Supreme Court. He, therefore, asked the court to set aside the impugned orders.

The court after hearing the petitioners’ counsel at length suspended the operations of the impugned orders.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023