PDMA Malakand officer axed for Peshawar windstorm

PESHAWAR: In a strange development, the Director General of the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) Tuesday terminated the services of a senior officer of Malakand region, which is located far away from Peshawar valley, for lack of coordination and effective relief work in the areas left devastated by the ‘mini-cyclone’ on Sunday.
Amer Afaq, a grade 19 officer of the provincial government working on the senior grade 20 position as director general of the PDMA, signed the orders of immediate termination of services of Sardar Zeb, administrator of project management unit (PMU), Malakand Division.
The copy of the termination letter is available with The News.The role of the PDMA, especially its director general, has come under severe media criticism and scrutiny due to the lack of coordination and affective response in the recent ‘mini-cyclone’ that left over 45 people dead and hundreds injured in parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, particularly Peshawar, Charsadda and Nowshera districts.
High-placed sources working for the PDMA told The News that many other officers of the PDMA were extremely upset due to the behaviour of the DG with the staff and unexpected termination of the officer in Malakand.
“We have decided to move to the court against the termination of services of our colleague. We will also launch a case as to why a junior officer with no experience had been appointed on a grade 20 position,” said an officer of the PDMA while requesting anonymity.
According to insiders in the provincial government, Amer Afaq is close to Chief Minister Pervez Khattak and chief secretary, who despite the visibly poor performance of the DG are defending him publicly.
“We were astonished when the chief minister while talking to the media on Monday openly defended the PDMA director general when reporters asked a question about the performance of the department,” the officer said.?
When contacted, Amer Afaq said that the services of Sardar Zeb and two other officials had been terminated on the charges of ‘misconduct and inefficiency’.“It’s just coincidence their termination orders were issued now. They were recruited on contract basis and it is their right to go wherever they wish to challenge their termination,” DG PDMA Amer Afaq said.In reply to a question, he defended his position and argued that almost all former director generals of the PDMA were in grade-19 when they were made its head.