The IHC bench after hearing the arguments of both the parties reserved the judgment. Additional Attorney General Tariq Khokhar appeared on behalf of the federal government.
The medical regulatory body was dissolved through a presidential ordinance in October last year, paving the way for the establishment of a new organization namely the Pakistan Medial Commission (PMC).
The same day when the PMDC was dissolved, President Alvi had also signed a new ordinance titled 'Pakistan Medical Commission Ordinance, 2019' which noted that the "implementation of the new ordinance requires dissolution of the current PMDC."
However, the decision to dissolve PMDC was challenged in the IHC by the registrar of erstwhile PMDC, Brig Dr Hafizud Din (retd) and 31 employees who maintained that an act of parliament gave powers to the government to dissolve the PMDC, but its president, vice president and the executive committee would stay intact till the appointment of newcomers after the elections which were to be held within one year.
The petition also said that the services of the PMDC employees were terminated without giving them a proper opportunity of hearing. It expressed apprehensions that the newly formed PMC may hire the services of new employees against the sanctioned and contractual positions through other modes after issuance of advertisement which would jeopardize the council's previous employees' vested rights to serve.