ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad Excessive Court docket (IHC) on Friday suspended the federal authorities’s order terminating companies of retired Rear Admiral Jamil Akhtar as chairman of the Karachi Port Belief (KPT) and sought a reply from the federal authorities on his petition by April 2.
The retired rear admiral was appointed the chairman of KPT by the earlier authorities on Nov 23, 2017 for 3 years, however the federal authorities eliminated him from the submit on March 25, citing completely different causes.
In response to a notification issued by the Institution Division on March 25, the federal authorities eliminated Mr Akhtar from the submit “forthwith by modifying/reducing his period of initial appointment in terms of Section 11 of the KPT Act, 1886, with immediate effect”.
Later, one other notification of the division stated that “the federal government is pleased to assign additional charge of the post of the chairman of the Karachi Port Trust (KPT) to Mr Shakeel Mangnejo (BS-21), Director General of Ports and Shipping, Karachi, under the Ministry of Maritime Affairs, for a period of three months”.
Nevertheless, a notification issued by the Ministry of Maritime Affairs said that Mr Akhtar had been faraway from the workplace of the chairman of the KPT with instant impact due to “irregularities in the KPT”.
Jamil was appointed in November 2017 for 3 years
In the identical notification, the ministry directed Mr Mangnejo to imagine the extra cost of the KPT chairman in accordance with the notification issued by the Institution Division.
One other notification associated to the problem said that the “federal government, in exercise of the powers conferred under Section 11 of the KPT Act, 1886, has been pleased to remove (retired) Rear Admiral Jamil Akhtar HI (M) from the post of chairman KPT forthwith”.
Earlier than Islamabad Excessive Court docket Chief Justice Athar Minallah, the counsel for Mr Akhtar argued that the petitioner had been appointed the KPT chairman and, by advantage of his workplace, he had additionally been one of many trustees of the belief.
He additional said that with out inserting the matter earlier than the federal cupboard, the federal authorities had issued the impugned notification of March 25 and that, too, by misinterpreting the Part 11 learn with Part 15 and 15(A) of the Karachi Port Belief Act, 1886.
The counsel for the petitioner additional said that after a trustee or the chairman was appointed, then his elimination might solely be made on the grounds clearly written within the above-mentioned sections of the KPT Act.
The courtroom issued notices to the federal authorities and the KPT and sought a report from them inside a fortnight.
The courtroom additionally ordered the registrar’s workplace to challenge a discover to the legal professional normal for help of the courtroom within the matter.
“Till the next date fixed, the operation of the impugned notification, dated March 25, 2020, shall remain suspended,” the courtroom dominated.
Additional listening to of the case was adjourned until April 2.
Printed in Daybreak, March 28th, 2020
