PESHAWAR: The family of a senior officer of the Pakistan Administrative Service (PAS) who had gone missing during service in 2014 has been directed to return the salaries it had received, a source told The News.
Amjad Shahid Afridi, a grade-20 PAS officer, mysteriously went missing during the service on March 18, 2014, soon after he reported to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government for his posting in the province.
Nothing was heard about the officer since then as the government and its agencies failed to recover the officer or find any clue to his whereabouts.
No one from the bureaucracy, or its associations raised a voice for the recovery of the colleague.
Amjad Afridi led many departments as a secretary during his past postings in KP and was known for his honesty and competence.
However, few of his colleagues made efforts to provide some relief to the family.
“The Finance Department Khyber Pakhtunkhwa moved a summary for payment of full salary of the officer to his family till the age of his retirement or his re-appearance. The summary was approved by the KP chief minister on November 21, 2016,” the source revealed.
The Establishment Division, Islamabad, was informed officially that the provincial government had moved a special case for approval of the competent authority to allow the monthly salary till superannuation of the officer.
“Later, the Establishment Division issued a notification of special package for the family of government servants who disappear during service and are not recovered within 12-months. Consequently, the KP government sent a case to the Establishment Division for the provision of an assistance package to the family of Afridi,” the source added.
The Establishment Division vide letter dated April 27, 2020 (6 days before the date of superannuation of Afridi) conveyed the approval of the competent authority for grant of incentives/facilities to the family of the missing officer as per notified assistance package of 2015. However, it set the condition that the already paid salaries shall be adjusted against the said assistance package.
“After the calculation by the department concerned, we are required to pay back over Rs4 million to the government since the assistance package of 2015 is less than the amount of salaries paid to us. The federal government has directed the KP government to recover salaries in the said package and pension and we have to pay back to the government,” Dr Waseem Afridi, son of the missing bureaucrat, confirmed when approached by The News.
He complained this is contrary to the Establishment Division order dated June 11, 2018, which states that claims arising during the period between June 15, 2013, and February 9, 2015, while the assistance package dated October 20, 2014, was in the field had to be processed in accordance with the law and rights created under that package.
According to Waseem, his father went missing on March 18, 2014, when the assistance package dated October 20, 2014, was admissible and which included full payment of full salary till superannuation.
The family of Amjad Afridi had sent a request to the Establishment Division to reconsider the previous notification and extend assistance package 2014 to them which also has provision for salaries but that was regretted.
They termed the decision as cruelty, saying the payment of the salaries was already approved by the then KP CM on humanitarian grounds.
“How can few officers at Centre now ask the provincial government to recover the amount from the family of their colleague who could never be recovered? My father had less than Rs600,000 bank balance when he went missing. We have also moved the court to seek justice in the case as we are unable to pay back the salaries to the government,” said Waseem.