ISLAMABAD: The federal government on Saturday appealed the Islamabad High Court (IHC) order reinstating Sheikh Anser Aziz as mayor of the Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad (MCI).

The appeal was filed by Additional Attorney General Tariq Mehmood Khokhar. An IHC division bench comprising justices Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb and Ghulam Azam Qambrani will hear the petition on Monday.

In the petition, the government has argued that an interim order that stayed the suspension of Mr Aziz as mayor was passed without giving the government`s counsel a proper hearing.

The PTI government suspended Mr Aziz, who is from the opposition PML-N, for 90 days for alleged corruption.

On Feb 17, Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani had issued a restraining order against his suspension as mayorwhen the government was about to suspend him.

On Feb 13, the Local Government Commission led by Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Capital Development Authority (CDA) Affairs Ali Nawaz Awan decided to proceed against Mr Aziz over various charges.

In a meeting the same day, acting Chief Metropolitan Officer Humayun Akhtar, who is also the CDA member engineering, filed a reference with the commission against the mayor.

Mr Awan had recommended a three month suspension until an inquiry into allegations of that the mayor used the services of two dozen staff members for personal use as well as official vehicles beyond his entitlement was completed.

However, the cabinet recently suspended Mr Aziz for alleged misappropriation in the award of a contract for a bus stand in G-9.

Justice Kayani had stayed the mayor`s suspension.

During a previous hearing, Mr Aziz`s counsel Kashif Ali Malikargued that the government had previously tried to remove him illegally and with mala fide intention, but the court in its Feb 17 order had restrained the government from taking any adverse action against him.

He said that the suspension of the mayor was not on the agenda of last week`s commission meeting, which was also attended by the mayor.

However, after he left the meeting, commission secretary Ali Sufyan quickly added his suspension to the agenda.

The counsel said the matter was 1(ept secret and the mayor was not aware of the development.

He argued that the composition of the commission was not in accordance with the spirit of the law.

He said that the secretary of the commission was assigned to amend the agenda of the meeting.

The counsel said that the ruling party had already made up its mind and was ready to suspend the mayor but could not do so because of the court`s restraining order.