PM Shehbaz Sharif dissolves Pakistan Medical Commission, suspends office bearers

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has dissolved the Pakistan Medical Commission (PMC), according to local media.

The Prime Minister dissolved the commission and suspended all the office bearers of the council, Geo tv reported citing government notification.

During Imran Khan's tenure in 2019, President Arif Alvi promulgated an ordinance that dissolved the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) and established PMC.

The ordinance was extended till September 2020, when a joint sitting of Parliament in the Imran Khan-led government passed the two bills to replace PMDC with PMC, amid opposition from the coalition parties that are currently ruling the country.

After coming into power, the Shahbaz Sharif-led government decided to revert PMC into the PMDC.

Citing sources, the Pakistani publication reported that the Pakistan Peoples Party wanted the revival of PMDC.

Meanwhile in April this year, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) announced the nullification of the representatives of the PMC, considering it to be illegal.

As per the background of the case, the legislature passed the Pakistan Medical Commission Act, 2020 on September 23, 2020, and after two days of passing the Act, the prime minister, vide notification issued on September 25, 2020, appointed the members of the council without following the procedure or selection criteria despite the fact the appointments of such members had already been declared illegal by the IHC in its earlier round of proceedings.

Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani has called for the immediate removal of the PMC members including the President of PMC, Dr Arshad Taqi, and Vice President Mohammad Ali Raza. The other five members who have been asked to leave by the IHC are Rashana Zafar, Dr Rumina Hassan, Tariq Ahmed Khan, Dr Anisur Rehman, and Dr Asif Loya, reported Dawn.

IHC had earlier declared the appointments of certain members of the erstwhile Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) illegal.

It further directed the competent authority to appoint the members on merit after advertising posts in media.

But in clear defiance of the direction, the competent authority, vide impugned notification, again appointed the same seven members of the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council without following the selection criteria, per se, such appointments also depict 'conflict of interest', reported Dawn.