PESHAWAR: A probe committee has detected massive irregularities in the appointment process of 1,651 employees working on contractual basis in different institutions and offices operating under Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Workers Welfare Board.

The probe into the appointment of contractual employees has been conducted on the directives of the Supreme Court of Pakistan. The contractual employees were hired for working folks grammar schools, vocational and technical institutes working the under the supervision of WWB.

According to the probe report, the committee scrutinised the process of appointment of 2,910 employees and found irregularities in the recruitment of 1,651 employees. The formalities of 1,259 employees were found complete.

The ‘irregularly’ hired employees include teachers, trade instructors, laboratory assistants, laboratory attendants, computer instructors, storekeepers, sanitary workers, computer laboratory attendants, naib-qasids and caretakers.

Report says 1,651 contractual employees were hired without following criteria

The probe report states that 1,135 employees have been recruited without any advertisement while the advertisements of 22 other appointments need verification.

Similarly, 169 people have been appointed in different districts in violation of the set criteria as the recruited candidates belong to districts other than those mentioned in the advertisement.

Likewise, the probe committee has also detected that 179 persons have been recruited on different posts without written test. The report stated that 49 persons were also appointed after considerable time while the advertisement of five recruited persons was irrelevant.

In addition to this, appointments of 33 persons were made against positions other than those mentioned in the advertisement while basic pay scale of 13 appointments was downgraded.

Additionally, two people were hired for jobs even before the publication of advertisement of vacancies while seven others were hired without any test or interview.

Besides, seven others were hired despite the fact that their qualifications and degrees had no relevance to the post. In addition to this, 11 of the employees had no documentary proof to substantiate their claim of relevant experience, on the grounds of which they were hired.

Sources told this scribe that the committee in its report observed that most of the employees were appointed in the absence of any advertisement. Besides, they said, in some cases, the advertisements were placed in dummy newspapers or the dailies with less circulation. It was meant to inform minim people about the upcoming appointment process, they added.

They said that in some cases, the committee found some advertisements to be faked. In addition, the advertisements mentioned a particular pay scale, however, at the end the employments were made on the said positions by downgrading the pay scale, they added.

Sources said that age relaxations were extended in many cases without following the proper procedure. In some cases, required criteria mentioned in the advertisement against the eligibility were not followed, they said.

The committee, according to sources, also observed that in case of many employees it didn’t find any record of screening/written test. However, they said, the candidates were given marks for interview. Besides, proper appointment orders were also issued to the same people, they said.

Sources said that the probe also found serious illegalities and irregularities in almost every organ of the provincial chapter of WWB. They said that appointments were one of the main features of the illegalities, for which the schools were established.

They said that the probe committee found that the schools were established at places where they were not required and unnecessary staff was hired without following the criteria.

A senior WWB official, when approached for comments, said that the probe committee was yet to finalise its report into the irregularities. He said that provincial government would place the probe report before the apex court, once it was completed. “I have no knowledge about the contents of the probe report, therefore, I am not in a position to say anything on the subject,” he added.

Published in Dawn, January 17th, 2022