Transfers of some top KP officials of PTI era likely

PESHAWAR: Though the divisional commissioners, deputy commissioners, regional and district police officers stand transferred, the administrative secretaries and some other officials holding lucrative positions since Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) came into power in 2018 continue to stay in their offices.

It is widely believed that officers having strong backing from PTI parliamentarians enjoyed holding key positions during the previous government. Some powerful MPAs, and particularly those having good ties with the former chief minister, also allegedly helped their friends to get positions of their choice.

The first thing that the caretaker government, headed by a retired elderly civil servant, Mohammad Azam Khan, did was to reshuffle all important position holders, including commissioners, deputy commissioners, regional police officers and district police officers.

Most of them had held lucrative positions during the entire PTI government, and were labeled as being close to the ruling party. The PTI government had posted an officer as commissioner Bannu Division. Later he was transferred to Malakand Division and then again made commissioner Hazara region before few days of the assembly dissolution.

Surprisingly, when all commissioners and DCs were transferred, the said officer was again transferred as commissioner of Kohat Division, only to be made an OSD a week later. All eyes are now on the administrative and special secretaries as well as other government officials as some of them were already prepared to pay the price for their long and open association with the previous ruling party.

However, the caretaker government is yet to act on in this regard. The officers holding prized positions are worried about their future and expecting reshuffling. Senior government officials complained that there had been no polarisation in the bureaucracy in the past but the past four and half years tenure of the PTI brought a visible division among civil servants.

Chief secretary Imdadullah Bosal with consultation of the chief minister reshuffled around 70-80 high ranking officials when he took charge of his office. Some of the officials complained that it sent a wrong message as if all of them were affiliated with the PTI.

According to sources in the chief minister secretariat, the caretaker cabinet had felt ignored by the chief minister in the first round of reshuffling of high ranking government officials and 14 ministers, out of 15, had registered their protest in a written complaint, duly signed by them.

“The ministers told the caretaker chief minister that he should have taken approval of the cabinet for transfer and posting of senior administrative officers,” an insider told The News, saying he had personally seen the letter and signatures of the cabinet members.

When reached, chief secretary Imdadullah Bosal rejected all such accusations, saying all transfer and posting were made purely on merit and with approval from the Election Commission of Pakistan.

“There was no external or internal pressure from any side in transfer posting of the officials. It was purely done on merit, following review of profile of the officials,” he argued. Some of the officials alleged that the second round of transfer posting were made on political grounds.

Chief secretary Imdadullah Bosal defended his decision, saying they had not changed deputy commissioners DI Khan and Tank in the first round and were required to be replaced. He said not a single officer had approached him or anybody else for transfer posting.

The chief secretary said the chief minister and he received positive feedback for the merit based transfer posting. About Bannu, he said the deputy commissioner had himself requested for his transfer as he was not comfortable to serve there. “We are here to uphold merit and serve KP people. There is no way someone can violate the law, particularly in transfer posting of civil servants,” the chief secretary vowed.