The Pakistani Consulate has confirmed that the Saudi court has upheld its previous decision about the dissolution of the School Management Committee (SMC) of Pakistan International School-Jeddah (Azizia).

In a written statement, the consulate said: “(We) are aware of court decision and respect the court’s verdict. We have advised the school authorities to strictly abide by court’s decision and do not resort to any action which may be construed as contempt of court.”

Meanwhile, Raja Mohammad Iqbal, a former principal of PISJ, has questioned the statement of PISJ School Management Committee Chairman Fazal Subhan, describing it as misleading.

Iqbal had filed a petition in the Dewan-e-Mazalim challenging the formation of the SMC by the Ministry of Education. The committee, Iqbal claims, was formed in violation of Articles 6 and 7 of the Rules of Management Councils of Foreign Community Schools 1427 AH.

Iqbal said the violation also occurred as Fazal Subhan’s iqama (residence permit) had expired and as such he was not eligible to sign any document. On the plea of plaintiff Iqbal, the court had issued an interim order restraining Subhan from signing any check.

The court had also ordered the dissolution of the SMC at that time. The Ministry of Education and Subhan both filed an appeal against the dissolution of the school committee. After about three months, the court delivered its “final” verdict on Dec. 30, 2014, upholding its previous order pertaining to the dissolution of the SMC.

This is, however, contested by other parties who claim that the court has given them 30 days to respond. They also stated that after Dewan-e-Mazalim, they can approach Dewan-e-Maliki.

Subhan petitioned the court on Dec. 31 asking it to review the decision. “It is not ‘an appeal’ in legal terminology as Subhan has lost the right to appeal after the final verdict. It is a mercy application that has no legal weight,” Iqbal’s lawyer said in a statement.