islamabad - The Islamabad High Court yesterday reserved its verdict in a petition wherein additional secretary of Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has approached the court to halt his repatriation to his parent department.

A single bench of IHC comprising Justice Aamer Farooq conducted hearing of the petition moved by ECP official Syed Sher Afghan against his repatriation to his parent department Supreme Court of Pakistan (SCP) and reserved the judgement after hearing the arguments from both sides.

Petitioner Sher Afgan moved the IHC through his counsel Ghulam Muhammad Khan Advocate and nominated chief election commissioner, secretary ECP, deputy director ECP and registrar Supreme Court as respondents.

In his petition, Afghan challenged his repatriation order dated June 24 to the original department and adopted that he was condemned unheard. The petitioner was serving as a grade-18 officer with the apex Supreme Court of Pakistan.

His counsel argued that his client’s services were requisitioned by the ECP and later he was absorbed as a regular employee. He obtained an NOC from his parent department and then at ECP, he was appointed as joint secretary in grade 21.

He stated that then all of a sudden on June 24, he was repatriated to his parent department under the pretext of a recent Supreme Court judgement that held all such absorptions as illegal.

Afgan maintained that the notification of his repatriation is a result of misreading and non-reading of the judgement of Supreme Court and liable to be set aside. He contended before the court that the case of petitioner is distinguishable as he came on deputation to a constitutional body (ECP) from a constitutional body and that too following proper laws and procedure. Therefore, he prayed to the court to set aside the notification dated June 24.