Upholding the decision of Lahore High Court, Supreme Court on Friday formed an ad hoc council to run the affairs of Pakistan Medical & Dental Council (PM&DC) in the chair of former judge of the apex court, Justice Mian Shakirullah Jan.
The PM&DC claims that it has been given a mission to establish uniform minimum standard of basic and higher qualifications in medicine and dentistry throughout Pakistan in order to safeguard public interests but "surprisingly" Lahore High Court (LHC) in December last found composition of the Council illegal.
A division bench of the Lahore High Court (LHC) comprising Justice Ayesha A Malik and Justice Jawad Hassan had struck down composition of the Pakistan Medical & Dental Council (PM&DC) amid Council's 2016 regulations for admission to medical colleges in response to pleas of some aspiring students and medical colleges.
The LHC had said in its order, "Regulations 9(6)(7)(8) and (11) of the 2016 Regulations qua the centralized admission program are beyond the authorized mandate of the PM&DC under the 1962 Ordinance and inconsistent with the intent of the stated Ordinance, hence they are declared to be without lawful authority and of no legal effect, and are, therefore, struck down."
On Friday, dismissing appeal of the PM&DC president and three others against the LHC verdict, a three-member bench led by Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar said in its order that ad hoc council will take over and run affairs of the PM&DC immediately and its first meeting shall be convened on January 18, 2018.
Saying it will record reasons of the order later, the bench announced its short order, "PM&DC constituted under the law and any executive committee constituted by or under the law and presently working are dissolved and till the appointment/election of the fresh council and the executive committees in accordance with law, we are constituting an ad hoc council to perform the functions and run the affairs of PM&DC in accordance with the relevant law."
Pronouncing short order, the bench said that incumbent registrar of the PM&DC shall continue to perform his duties whereas a council is formed comprising former Justice Mian Shakirullah Jan as chairman and eight members including attorney general for Pakistan or in case of his non-availability his nominee/representative, federal secretary health, surgeon general of Pakistan Armed Forces, vice chancellor of National University of Medical Sciences (NUMS), vice chancellor University of Health Sciences, Lahore, vice chancellor Jinnah Post Graduate Medical Centre, Karachi, vice chancellor Khyber Medical University Peshawar and principal Bolan Medical College, Quetta.
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