Summary The Islamabad High Court has suspended the recruitment process for ANF posts until a final decision, after a constable challenged the hiring advertisement over promotion rights.
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has suspended the implementation of a recruitment advertisement issued by the Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF), halting the hiring process until a final decision is made in the main case.
Justice Muhammad Azam Khan issued the order while also removing the Registrar Office's objections to an ancillary application. The court directed that the recruitment advertisement would remain suspended until the petition is decided.
In its written order, the court clarified that the interim application had been allowed without expressing any opinion on the merits of the main case. The matter has been fixed for hearing on August 22.
The petition was filed by ANF Constable Muhammad Shafiq Khan through his counsel, Muhammad Ali Raza, challenging the recruitment advertisement. The Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Law and the Director General of the ANF have been named as respondents.
The petitioner submitted that he has been serving in the ANF at the same rank for the past 10 years without receiving a promotion. He stated that he is ranked 232nd on the department's seniority list of 665 constables but has been denied his right to departmental promotion.
The petition argued that issuing a recruitment advertisement for direct appointments without convening a meeting of the Departmental Promotion Committee was unlawful. It further maintained that the recruitment process violated ANF service rules by overlooking the promotion rights of existing employees.
The petitioner requested the court to stop the alleged unlawful induction of officers on deputation from other departments, restore the service structure for civilian employees, declare the recruitment advertisement illegal and direct the immediate formation of a Departmental Promotion Committee to fill vacant posts through departmental promotions.
