Islamabad: Islamabad High Court has suspended the recent decision of the Pakistan Television (PTV) management to discontinue medical facilities for its employees and pensioners. The PTV Board of Directors had, through an order dated the 29th of last month, abolished all medical policies except dialysis, causing great difficulties for employees and elderly pensioners.Leader of The All Pakistan PTV Pensioners Ittehad, Muhammad Ashraf, Zafarullah Khan, and other pensioners, filed a constitutional petition in the Islamabad High Court challenging this decision. The petition came up for preliminary hearing on Tuesday, August 19. After hearing the arguments of the petitioners' lawyer, Waqas Malik Advocate, the learned judge of the Islamabad High Court, Justice Muhammad Asif, suspended the decision of the PTV Board of Directors until the next hearing.The court issued notices to the PTV management and the Establishment Secretary, directing them to file parawise comments on the Petition before the next hearing. Du ring the proceedings, the petitioners' lawyer argued that the PTV management's decision to discontinue the medical facilities for employees and pensioners is a flagrant violation of their fundamental rights as enshrined in the Constitution. Citing the Constitutional Article, which guarantees the right to life, he submitted that right to health is an integral part of the right to life. He also argued that PTV's impugned decision also violates the Industrial Relations Act, 2012, which prohibits the reduction or withdrawal of benefits granted during service.The petitioners contended that the PTV Board of Directors' decision was unilateral, malafide and in excess of jurisdiction as the board itself was not properly constituted. The court granted Stay Order against the PTV management's decision and directed that notices be issued to the respondents. The next hearing of the case is scheduled for the second week of September.