Appointment of a key Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) director has been challenged in the Islamabad High Court (IHC), as the petitioner seeks his removal from the post over unfilled credentials. The petitioner also claimed that the Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC), a well reputed hiring institution in the country, also rejected his (director’s) candidature over lack of required administrative and teaching experience. Petitioner Syed Karim Shah, through his counsel Dr GM Chaudhry, challenged the appointment of FDE Director Saqib Shahab in the court, in which he made the FDE, Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training, FPSC, Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and the Establishment Division respondents. The FIA, petitioner claimed, should investigate the matter as it was an act of corruption. For the post of director, the petition stated, a second class or grade ‘C’ master’s degree was required, with 12 years of post-qualification teaching and administrative experience at the school/college level. According to the petition, Shahab lacked the post qualification experience by almost 8 years. “Despite the FPSC rejection, it was a mystery how deficiency of experience was fulfilled by Shahab,” the petition stated. He was appointed as the FDE director in 2017 through an FPSC advertisement. The petition stated that it was relevant to point that there were differences in the contents and wordings of different experience certificates issued by the same institutions, which proved distortion and concealment of facts or forgery or preparation or fabrication of false evidence cognisable under sections 191, 192, 193, 197, 198, 199, 200, 463, 464, 465, 468, 470 and 471 of the Pakistan Penal Code (Act No. XLV of 1860). According to this law, it required disciplinary proceedings. The petitioner pleaded that the respondent violated the law, so he should be penalised under the Government Servants (Efficiency and Discipline) Rules, 1973, adding that he was also liable to punishments according to the nature of the offences under the provisions of the Pakistan Penal Code (Act XLV of 1860) read with provisions of the Federal Investigation Act, 1974 (Act No. VIII of 1975). “Due to this reason, the FIA is impleaded as a respondent so that it may carry out necessary investigations and inquiry in the matter, as many persons acted in collaboration and in collusion with [the accused] to provide benefit to one person (Shahab),” the petition explained. The petitioner said that there was also an overlapping in certain periods of employment while the director was serving in the same or different institutions, which made the credibility of different experience certificates shaky and doubtful, and required formal investigation and inquiry. He said the experience certificates had been issued afresh after the respondent joined the service in the Ministry of Education, which was the administrative ministry of different educational institutions i.e. schools and colleges. “[The accused] keeping an administrative position in the Federal Directorate of Education or in the Federal Ministry of Education and Professional Training (FE&PT) is against the interest of the teaching community and the students, as he (Shahab) may cause irreparable loss to the cause of education,” the petitioner claimed, alleging that he had used undue influence. According to the available information, Saqib Shahab was also a candidate for the post of the Federal Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (FBISE) secretary. When contacted, FDE DG Syed Umair Javed said that like all other departments, the directorate was also bound to follow court orders. He suggested that instead of engaging in unnecessary activities, all staffers should focus on their basic jobs of upgrading the education system. Another responsible official in the Ministry of Education, while requesting anonymity, said that the authorities would comply with the court orders in case it directed to remove Shahab from the post.