PHC extends stay against filling of top OGCL vacancy.

PESHAWAR -- The Peshawar High Court has extended a stay order, which restrained the provincial government from filling the post of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Oil and Gas Company Limited's chief executive officer.

A bench consisting of Justice Ijaz Anwar and Justice Syed Arshad Ali directed the government and the OGCL to file their respective replies to the petition of a candidate for that post, Dr Ammer Khan Jadoon, who challenged the withdrawal of his appointment after he accepted the government's offer.

It fixed April 11 for the next hearing declaring that the post won't be filled until then.

Last month, the high court had granted an interim relief to the petitioner by issuing a stay order against the filling of the vacancy and sought the response of the government and the OGCL on the matter.

However, the failure of the respondents to file a response led to the extension of the stay order until further orders.

Seeks govt reply to petition against withdrawal of appointment

The petitioner's counsel, Nouman Muhib Kakakhel, argued that appointment of his client to the CEO's post was done through a proper channel as the post was advertised and he applied for it and was interviewed before his appointment from among three candidates was approved by the former provincial cabinet.

He added that the decision was put forward to the company for compliance and even he was offered an appointment, which he accepted but that offer was withdrawn and revoked after a week.

The counsel argued that once an appointment offer was accepted, it couldn't be withdrawn.

He said that the basis of withdrawal and revocation was vague as the company had contacted a 'wrong person' in his client's previous company who only provided his service tenure and the last position held, and did not comment on any of the posts held by the petitioner.

The counsel...