ABBOTTABAD Sept 25: The Peshawar High Court’s Circuit Bench here has granted a stay against the posting of new principal of Ayub Medical College (AMC), Abbottabad, and asked the incumbent to continue as the AMC principal till next hearing of the case.

A two-member bench accepted for hearing the application of Dr Jaffar Khan, the AMC principal, against his removal and appointment of Dr Abdul Rasheed in his place.

The petitioner pleaded that he was the senior-most professor and head of ophthalmology department in the AMC, and as such appointed as principal of the college on October 19, 2009.

Dr Jaffar further stated that he would retire on or before Dec 1, 2012, and was competent enough to work in the same position being his last posting.

He also contended that without mentioning any plausible reason the provincial government had issued a notification in which he had been reverted to his department and Dr Rasheed, who is junior to him, was appointed as the AMC principal.

Besides others, the respondents included the provincial health minister, health secretary, chief executive of Ayub Medical Institution, Dr Abdul Rasheed, and vice chancellor of Khyber Medical University, Peshawar.

The petitioner claimed that the elevation of Dr Rasheed to the principal’s post was in violation of rules.

MORE BANK BRANCHES: The Bank of Khyber (BoK) will expand its network to 12 more cities of the country in the current financial year, said Bilal Mustafa, managing director of the bank, while speaking as a chief guest at the inauguration ceremony of second branch of the BoK in Abbottabad city here on Saturday.

He said that currently there were 62 branches of BoK in the country and 26 of these also offered Islamic banking facilities.

Mr Mustafa said that the bank had given Rs9 billion loan to the industrial sector while Rs7.5 billion loan was extended to the provincial government for procurement of wheat to avert any shortfall of the commodity in the province.Dawn.