• PHC ruling upheld by Federal Constitutional Court.
• Provincial government’s appeal dismissed.
• Suitable role sought for petitioner.

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) on Thursday dismissed the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government’s appeal against the appointment of a master’s degree holder as a sanitary worker, upholding the Peshawar High Court’s decision, The News reported.

A three-member FCC bench, headed by Justice Hassan Azhar Rizvi, heard the case. During the hearing, a district education officer appeared before the court.

Justice Rizvi sarcastically remarked: “Our system deserves applause for making an MA-qualified young man work as a sanitary worker.”

“Is a person who has earned a master’s degree now expected to work as a sweeper? This is a major tragedy,” he further observed.

The judge asked the district education officer what duties the individual was performing. The officer replied that his responsibilities included sweeping and cleaning.

Expressing his displeasure, Justice Rizvi said, “Doesn’t anyone feel ashamed that a young man with a master’s degree is being made to sweep floors?”

The judge further observed that it would not be appropriate to dismiss the employee after he had served for 10 years. He directed that the provincial government should instead provide the petitioner with another job suited to his qualifications.

The KP additional advocate general told the court that there were currently no vacant sanitary worker posts in the province.

In response, Justice Rizvi remarked with surprise, saying: “Has Khyber Pakhtunkhwa become so clean that it no longer needs sanitary workers? I had only heard of another province (Punjab) being so clean.”

Later, the court upheld the Peshawar High Court’s ruling and dismissed the provincial government’s appeal.