ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) on Monday directed the Khyber Pakhtukhwa (KP) government to formulate criteria for the appointment of principal in Edwardes College Peshawar.
A three-member bench comprising Justice Mushir Alam, Justice Yahya Afridi and Justice Qazi Muhammad Amin Ahmed took up the case filed by Bishop Humphrey Sarfaraz Peters regarding the appointment of a principal and the status of Edward College Peshawar.
At the outset of the proceeding, the court directed the Diocese of Peshawar of the Church of Pakistan to provide a list of five candidates for appointment against the post of principal.
The court also directed the provincial government to consult the institute’s Board of Governors (BoG) and appoint the principal on merit.
KP advocate general said that the provincial government had submitted all the details in writing to the court.
Justice Ahmed said that Pakistan belonged to all people living in this country and they were, regardless of their faith, were the asset of the country.
The advocate general said that Edwardes College was nationalised in 1974 and KP governor KP acts as the chairman of BoG.
Barrister Hamid Khan, counsel for the petitioner, said that the government had stated it wanted to run the college according to other public colleges.
Khan further said that his client wanted the principal to be from the Christian community. Since the forming of the BoG in 1974, Christians have retained the office of the principal, he added.
Justice Afridi said that this was not a matter for the court or the government but for the students of KP.
Hamid Khan said, per the ritual, the bishop had nominated the principal for 47 years. Justice Afridi said that the government would formulate the criteria for the appointment of a principal while the bishop would forward the names of the candidates.
Justice Ahmed said that the bishop would propose five names for the principal while the government would finalise one name according to merit.
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