Erstwhile FATA medical seats: PHC grants status quo

Humayun Khan
PESHAWAR: Peshawar High Court (PHC) has granted status quo against the allocation of 167 seats as combined quota for students of erstwhile Federally Administrated Tribal Areas (FATA) collectively despite provision on the district level while ordering Higher Education Commission and Khyber Medical University to submit reply, on Tuesday.
PHC’s divisional bench comprising Justice Kamran Hayat and Justice Shahid Khan issued orders on the writ petition of Asad Khan while Asif Yousafzai advocate appeared before the court and informed that 167 has been reserved for students of erstwhile Fata in medical colleges across the country.
The counsel argued that earlier seats were allocated for each Agency (district of erstwhile Fata) and the residential students would be liable for obtaining admission on their respective quota but now HEC has combined the seats altogether and instituted single/ uniform merit which isn’t fair.
Because one district lack education facilities while on the other the Agency (erstwhile Fata district) developed with standard qualities which may deprive students of one district from obtaining higher education, especially in medicine, the counsel argued.
The counsel further added that the policy has impacted seats of Mohmand district they are below in the collective/combined merit list and added that in several districts the schools lack science teachers.
The PHC divisional bench constituting of Justice Kamran Hayat and Justice Shahid Khan granted the status quo against combining medical seats of erstwhile Fata while ordering HEC and KMU to submit a reply after the conclusion of initial arguments.
PHC issues notice against discharge of Ali Muhammad Khan: PHC’s divisional bench comprising Justice Naeem Anwar and Justice Khursheed Iqbal ordered the submission of an Anti-terrorism court (ATC) record regarding discharging former Federal Minister Ali Muhammad Khan on the government’s appeal and issued notice to the respondent.
Additional Advocate Jalal-u-Din Akbar argued that First Information Reports were registered against Ali Muhammad Khan under Anti-terrorism Act while ATC didn’t grant remand on the Counter Terrorism Department plea but discharged the former Federal State’s Minister in the case.
This is illegal because ATC didn’t explain in the judgement discharging of the former Minister neither was the decision made on legal grounds but granted a short order in this regard, the Additional Advocate General argued.
He requested to brush off ATC judgement and issuance of an arrest warrant for Ali Muhammad Khan, however, PHC has issued notice to the former Federal minister while adjourned further hearing.