PESHAWAR: The Khyber Girls Medical College Teachers Association (KGMC-TA) has expressed concern over the reported move by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to rescind the transfer orders of the newly-posted principal Prof Dr Iqbal Begum.

The association said in a statement on Tuesday that the decision tohold the transfer ordersin abeyance over objections raised by the board of governors of Hayatabad Medical Complex and a looming contempt of court notice was unfair and unjustified. `Instead of defending its decision in the court of law, the government is backtracking on a principled stand,` it said.The statement said that it was ironic that the only female medical college in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa always had a male principal. Not a single public sector university or college for boys has a female head, it pointed out. While all the colleges for girls in KP are having female principals, for some inexplicable reasons the KGMC has been singled out to be led by a male principal, it said.

Even the Khyber Medical College, a combined boys and girls medical education facility, had almost always been run by male principals, barring one short stint by a female professor. `Does this mean that male principals are more competent than their female counterparts?` the statement asked.

It said that women had always been discriminated against andone would have thought that the situation would improve with coming into power of Pakistan Tehreeki-Insaf which championed the cause ofgenderequality.Thus,the decision to post Dr Iqbal Begum who just last week oversaw the inauguration of Gaju Khan Medical College in Swabi as principal of KGMC was hailed by its students, faculty and the supporting staff.

Unfortunately, some powerful circles within the medical fraternityvyingforthejob andusingthe cover of court proceedings were now attempting to pressurise the government to withdraw its notification, even though Dr Iqbal Begum`s posting was an interim arrangement pending disposal of the court cases and advertisement of the post, it noted.

The KGMC teachers said thatthe principal of the female-only medical college should be a female and this could be done by simply amending the rules of business.

The statement said that the government could have taken course to the legislature and informed the court about its intention to do away with the discrimination against women. Instead, the government buckled under pressure and decided to rescind the orders, it regretted.

The association demanded of the government to review its decision, end discrimination against women and defend its decision made in good faith instead of yielding to pressure.

It said that the faculty and students reserved the right to resort to public protest as well as take legal recourse to protect and defend its legitimate right, it said.