ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday expressed displeasure over the prolonged delay by the federal government in appointing the director general of Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA), a position lying vacant for a couple of years.

IHC Justice Babar Sattar made the observation while hearing a petition filed by Shahzad Afzal, a director at the PSQCA, and directed the principal secretary to prime minister and the cabinet secretary to appearbefore the courtto justify the delay.

The assistant attorneygeneral (AAG) informed the court that the summary for the appointment, dated Sept 20, 2024, is awaiting approval by the prime minister.

The summary can only be presented to the cabinet after intelligence agencies submitted their reports on it, he said, adding that one agency`s report is still pending.

However, the court expressed displeasure, stating that statutory requirements cannot be held hostage to delays on the part of intelligence agencies.

The presiding judge emphasised that the government is failing in fulfilling its obligations under the law.

The counsel for the petitioner raised objections to the delegation of acting charge of the post to the deputy director general, finance.

Thecounselarguedthat under the Rules of Business, 1973, the federal minister for science and technology had actedwithout authority while issuing orders on Aug 1, 2024, and Dec 5, 2024, assigning the temporary charge.

The court ordered the AAG to clarify under what legal authority had the minister made these decisions.

The court summoned the principal secretary to PM and the cabinet secretarytoappearonthenext date of hearing.

It demanded an explanation as to who should be held accountable for the continued delay and failure to comply with the statutory provisions.

The judge warned against further negligence, stating, `the implementation of statutory requirements cannot be suspended due to administrative inefficiencies or the whims of intelligence agencies`.

The court set Feb 26 as the next date of hearing and instructed the federal government to ensure progress on the appointment process before this date.