Peshawar: Hayatabad Medical Complex came under judicial scrutiny after the Peshawar High Court sought replies from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government and hospital authorities over a petition challenging three senior appointments made by the hospital’s Board of Governors (BoG).

A bench comprising Justice Syed Arshad Ali and Justice Inamullah Khan directed the provincial government and the director of the Medical Teaching Institute (MTI) Hayatabad Medical Complex to submit their comments within two weeks.

The court also issued notices to the three appointees, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and the Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE), which are respondents in the case. It will fix the next hearing later.

Petitioner Zeeshan Akram alleged that BoG Chairman Dr Noorul Iman appointed individuals personally associated with him to the posts of director (finance), director (supply chain management) and chief internal auditor.

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The petition asks the court to declare the appointments illegal and without lawful authority. It argues that the appointments violate the KP MTI Reforms Act 2015, the MTI-HMC Services Regulations, the advertised eligibility criteria, the Chartered Accountants Ordinance 1961 and constitutional principles of merit, transparency and equal opportunity in public employment.

The petitioner also requested the court to cancel the appointments and direct the authorities to conduct fresh recruitment under the relevant laws and regulations.

In addition, the petition asks the court to direct NAB Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the Anti-Corruption Establishment to examine the appointments, particularly those involving individuals who were already facing anti-corruption inquiries linked to alleged illegal appointments at MTI-Qazi Hussain Ahmad Medical Complex in Nowshera.

The appointments under challenge include Ikramullah Jan Khattak as director (finance), Mohammad Ishaq Khattak as director (supply chain management) and Shabbir Ahmad Khattak as chief internal auditor.

Representing the petitioner, senior lawyer Shumail Butt argued that Dr Noorul Iman became BoG chairman in January 2026 and later initiated a coordinated recruitment process to place individuals associated with him in key administrative and financial positions.

The petition also claims that the appointees had previously worked with Dr Noorul Iman at MTI Nowshera and that the Anti-Corruption Establishment had named two of them in ongoing inquiries related to alleged illegal appointments.

The petitioner further alleged that Ikramullah Jan Khattak did not meet the advertised requirement for the director (finance) post because he holds an ACCA qualification instead of the required Chartered Accountant (CA) qualification recognised under Pakistani law.

According to the petition, another candidate secured a higher score during the recruitment process, but the BoG later altered the evaluation criteria, changing the final merit list and placing Ikramullah Jan Khattak at the top.

The court has not ruled on the merits of the allegations, and the respondents have yet to submit their replies.