PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Tuesday granted the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government one month to address the issue of the non-functional MTI Tribunal and adjourned the hearing of a writ petition filed against its inactivity.
A two-member bench comprising Justice Ijaz Anwar and Justice Inamullah Khan heard the case.During the proceedings, Justice Ijaz Anwar questioned the current status of the tribunal, observing that the body had remained non-functional while related cases were increasingly being brought before the court.
When the hearing began, Secretary Health Shahidullah, Assistant Advocate General Inam Yousafzai and petitioner’s counsel Habib Anwar appeared before the bench.The petitioner’s counsel informed the court that the MTI Tribunal had been inactive since August 2025, leaving thousands of employees’ cases pending.
He said that the provincial government intended to bring in preferred individuals and had introduced changes to the MTI laws.He argued that earlier the chairman and members of the tribunal were required to have a background as judges or legal practitioners, but new amendments would allow the appointment of persons without legal or judicial backgrounds, which could lead to favourable decisions through handpicked appointments.
The counsel pleaded that the tribunal had earlier been stripped of the authority to issue stay orders in certain matters.At this point, Justice Ijaz Anwar again asked about the tribunal’s current status and why it remained inactive, noting that related cases were now reaching the high court.
In response, the health secretary said that amendments had already been passed by the provincial assembly and the rules had been sent to the cabinet for approval.The petitioner’s lawyer argued that the government wanted the flexibility to appoint anyone as chairman or member of the tribunal.
Justice Ijaz Anwar remarked that it was within the government’s authority to amend laws and rules, adding that the legality of such amendments could be examined later.The petitioner prayed for an early decision in the case, but the health secretary sought one month to complete the necessary process.The bench granted the request and adjourned the hearing until April 16.
