APCA ends protest after negotiations

MARDAN: Following successful negotiations between the All Pakistan Clerks Association (APCA) and the Accountant General of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the APCA has called off its protest.

Aurangzeb Kashmiri, the general secretary of APCA, told journalists that the resolution came after the issuance of cheque drawing authority by the Accountant General to the Public Works Department.

Kashmiri explained that as per the authority, only the executive engineer (XEN) was authorised to issue cheques, while sub-divisional officers (SDOs) were prohibited from signing them, causing difficulties for contractors in various departments.

Despite several futile discussions with caretaker ministers and department officials, the issue persist due to the legal correctness of the accountant general’s actions. Subsequently, a delegation led by Kashmiri met Accountant General Akbar Ali Khan to address the matter.Following their discussion, amendments were made to the authority, allowing SDOs to sign checks, with a notification issued in this regard.