IHC bars CDA chairman from recruitment in emergency services

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has barred the Capital Development Authority (CDA) chairman from issuing recruitment letters to candidates (hired) against vacant slots in the Director General Capital Emergency Services, Director Fire, and Director of Emergency Medical Services.

The court issued the orders in response to a petition filed by Deputy Director Syed Hamid Shah, who said that the hiring procedure for these positions had been opaque and non-transparent.

IHC Judge Mohsin Akhtar Kayani has issued notices to the parties involved and prevented the CDA chairman from issuing appointment letters against these slots due to the urgency of the matter.

The CDA had earlier advertised the posts in different newspapers.

Moreover, officers of the CDA Emergency and Disaster Management Department have also submitted an appeal to the CDA chairman, expressing serious reservations over the decision to recruit doctors from outside on a contract basis.

They have contended that competent officers within the civic agency have been working in the same grade for the last 15 years, but they have been neglected in the recruitment process, virtually denying them the chance of due promotions.

They said that this situation has not only created anxiety among the CDA’s officers but also put a question mark on the overall performance of the civic agency.

They said that the issue has become litmus test vis-à-vis transparency, merit and the rights of the CDA’s permanent officers.

The officers in their application to the CDA chairman have demanded to introduce a service structure and a fair promotional framework.

The officers, serving in scale-16 to scale-18, have highlighted the absence of a formal framework for career growth in the CDA which had left them in professional limbo.

The officers have also criticised the practice of publicising senior positions outside of the civic agency ignoring the internal talent.

They claimed that the requirements for senior positions have been designed to benefit outsiders, especially those from Punjab Rescue 1122, while excluding competent CDA personnel with higher degrees in law and social sciences.

They have argued that their contributions were ignored, depriving them of recognition and prospects for professional progression.

The petitioners have demanded that quick action be taken, which includes putting in place a merit-based promotion pathway, adopting a service structure, changing the requirements for senior posts to allow for internal applicants, and ending open-market hiring for leadership positions.

The officers hoped that CDA leadership would act quickly to resolve their issues, stressing that doing so would boost the department’s capacity to effectively serve Islamabad’s citizens while also restoring employee confidence.