PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has terminated the services of the chief executive officer of Pakhtunkhwa Energy Development Organisation after the Attorney General submitted an appeal...

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has terminated the services of the chief executive officer (CEO) of Pakhtunkhwa Energy Development Organisation (Pedo) after the Attorney General submitted an appeal in the Supreme Court against the judgment of the Peshawar High Court (PHC) that had struck down his appointment.

Akbar Ayub was appointed as the CEO of Pedo on February 18, 2015. A Pedo accountant Fazal Rahim, who is also an office-bearer of the employees union at the organisation, petitioned the PHC and challenged Akbar Ayub’s appointment on multiple grounds, including his qualification and alleged violation of merit in his selection.

A PHC bench of Justice Roohul Amin Khan Chamkani and Justice Ijaz Anwar adjudged the appointment of Akbar Ayub as illegal. However, subsequently the PHC bench of Justice Waqar Ahmad Seth and Justice Ijaz Anwar, after hearing an application filed by the respondents in the main petition, including the provincial government, Akbar Ayub and Pedo’s board of governors, issued a stay order suspending action on its judgment of declaring Akbar Ayub’s appointment illegal.

The PHC also stated that Akbar Ayub would be removed from the job if he filed an appeal in the Supreme Court. Hence, the provincial government terminated Akbar Ayub’s services as Pedo chief after an appeal was filed in the Supreme Court through the Attorney General against the PHC judgement. According to the notification, Secretary Energy and Power Engineer Naeem Khan has been assigned the additional charge of the CEO Pedo with immediate effect till further orders.