Immediate reinstatement plea of sacked HEC ED rejected

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has turned down the immediate reinstatement plea made by the sacked Higher Education Commission (HEC) Executive Director (ED) Dr. Ziaul Qayyum.

Dr. Ziaul Qayyum, a grade 21 officer, was dismissed from his position after his performance was declared unsatisfactory by the HEC board.

Challenging the decision, Dr. Zia had taken the matter to the Islamabad High Court, which scheduled an urgent hearing for Monday (today).

During the course of the hearing, the Islamabad High Court has issued notices to the HEC and other parties in response to a petition filed by the sacked ED seeking reinstatement to his post.

The petitioner had also requested immediate reinstatement and a stay order, but the court rejected the plea for interim relief.

Justice Inam Amin Minhas remarked, “We cannot issue such a stay order; let the responses come first.”

He added that the next hearing date will be mentioned in the court order.

The court has adjourned the hearing indefinitely.

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Dr. Ziaul Qayyum was appointed Executive Director of the Higher Education Commission (HEC) in 2023 on a four-year term. According to the rules under the MP-I scale, annual performance reviews are mandatory. Sources said Dr. Qayyum’s performance was found unsatisfactory in the latest evaluation.

Reports suggest growing tensions between HEC Chairman Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed and Dr. Qayyum had been ongoing for several months. Insiders claim that the Executive Director’s removal was partly due to reported delays in executing the federal laptop scheme. Several attempts to resolve internal differences reportedly failed.

Following his removal, Dr. Qayyum raised legal concerns over the process. In a letter, he alleged that he was neither informed of the charges nor given a chance to respond or defend himself.

However, HEC officials insist the dismissal was carried out in line with the commission’s rules and regulations.