PESHAWAR: A Peshawar High Court bench on Friday suspended an order of the North Waziristan`s political agent expelling from the agency seven political mohrars (clerks) and subsequently transferring them to another agency.

The bench comprising Justice Qaiser Rasheed and Justice Ikramullah Khan sought comments from the additional chief secretary, Fata Secretariat, and the concerned political agent in reply to a writ petition filed by the aggrieved officials, including Mir Abbas, Hakeem Khan, Salman Saleem, Mohammad Noor, Naimatullah, Sajid Alam and Enayatullah.

During course of the proceedings Justice Qaiser Rasheed observed that the political agents had turned into uncrowned kings and had established their fiefdoms in their respective agencies, often not caring for law.

He questioned how a government official could be expelled from an agency.

Advocates ljaz Anwer and Abdul Kareem Mehsud appeared for the petitioners and contended that their clients were expelled from the agency on May 28 as they had not been following illegal directives of the administration. They added that the petitioners could not even visit the agency to meet their respective families.

Later on, they stated that the petitioners were transferred to Bajaur Agency on Jun 13.

The lawyers added that the petitioners were appointed on merit and being government servants they could not be expelled from the agency. The counsel stated that the political agent had recruited daily wage workers in place of the petitioners. They contended that the petitioners could neither be transferred to another agency nor be expelled from the district.-Bureau Report