Standoff between secretary, CM’s aide: Civil servants call off protest after reconciliation

PESHAWAR: The civil servants in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Monday called off their protest after the resolution of the dispute between a special assistant to the chief minister and the secretary of the Elementary and Secondary Education Department.

The reconciliation was made by Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, who brought both sides to the negotiating table and effected a compromise after days of tension that had affected activities at the provincial secretariat.

The confrontation emerged on September 12 when Special Assistant to the Chief Minister for Relief, Rehabilitation and Settlement Malik Nek Muhammad Khan Dawar allegedly stormed the office of Secretary Education Mohammad Khalid to influence the transfer of a woman district education officer.

According to the official situation report prepared by the Education Department, the secretary was not present at the time, but Nek Muhammad forcibly occupied the office, misbehaved with the staff and called Mohammad Khalid on the phone. He allegedly used abusive language and hurled life threats to the secretary.

In response, the secretary issued an order declaring all offices of his department as out-of-bound areas for outsiders and instructed his subordinates to refrain from attending offices physically.

Officials were told to continue their work from home due to “security reasons” until further notice. This extraordinary step highlighted the gravity of the situation and deepened the standoff.

The incident triggered outrage across the Civil Secretariat. Various employees’ unions, including officers, clerical staff and support employees launched a protest against what they described as the “highhandedness” of the special assistant.

Civil servants staged demonstrations, boycotted office work and demanded strict disciplinary action against Nek Muhammad including registration of FIR against him and denotifying him as special assistant.

For days, routine administrative functions in several government departments were disrupted as officials stood in solidarity with the secretary and pressed for guarantees against political interference. As the strike expanded, senior cabinet members and the provincial bureaucracy warned that the crisis was undermining governance at a critical time.

Recognizing the seriousness of the matter, the chief minister intervened to end the deadlock. He convened a traditional-style jirga at the Chief Minister’s House, attended by senior officials and ministers including the chief secretary, senior member board of revenue, Peshawar commissioner, provincial minister for higher education, Meena Khan and senior bureaucrat Javed Marwat.

After hours of negotiations, the chief minister succeeded in bringing both Nek Muhammad and Secretary Khalid Khan to agreement. Both parties assured the jirga of their commitment to work jointly in the public interest.

The chief minister expressed satisfaction with the outcome. He thanked all the stakeholders for their ‘constructive’ role. He said that government ministers, elected representatives and civil servants were all honourable and essential pillars of governance and they must work together as one team.Relief Minister Nek Muhammad also issued a statement after the reconciliation, stressing that his stance was never personal but rooted in principles of merit and accountability.