MUZAFFARABAD: Raja Sajjad Ahmed Khan, President of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA), has strongly criticised AJK Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwarul Haq for his alleged plan to dismiss ad-hoc employees, some of whom have been serving for over a decade.

“The prime minister lacks the moral authority to terminate ad-hoc employees, especially while his brother-in-law, who was appointed under dubious circumstances, remains in office,” Mr Khan remarked during a conversation with reporters.

The AJK SCBA chief was referring to the ‘controversial’ appointment of Chaudhry Basharat Hussain as Secretary of the Legislative Assembly in BS-21 on March 15, 2011 at the hands of Mr Haq, who was then holding the office of Speaker.

Continuing, he said, in a similar act of nepotism during his speakership, Mr Haq had appointed another close relative in the food department without any exam. The same relative was recently promoted by him as District Food Controller (DFC) in his hometown Bhimber, he added.

“Mr Haq cites the Constitution and law to justify firing the ad-hoc employees. But his commitment to merit vanishes in thin air when it comes to favouring his close relations.

“A person who has unlawfully appointed his kin through questionable means has no right to deprive lower-scale ad-hoc employees of their livelihoods,” asserted the SCBA chief.

Maintaining that rulers should take pride in creating employment opportunities rather than taking them away, he added: “Ironically Mr Haq is the only ‘autocratic’ leader in AJK’s history who seems to take pleasure in depriving people of their livelihoods.”

The SCBA president claimed that while hundreds of ad-hoc and contingent paid employees had already been shown the door by Mr Haq led government, another 5,000 were also facing potential dismissal. He acknowledged that while ad-hoc appointments in AJK often involved recommendations, many of these employees had served for a considerable time.

He emphasised that it was the government’s responsibility to establish a proper selection process to regularize their employment. Mr Khan pointed out that previous governments had formed high-level committees to address the issue of ad-hoc employees, but their recommendations, despite cabinet approval, were never implemented.“Many ad-hoc employees have died in service or retired after reaching the age of superannuation. Those still employed now face the threat of termination under the current prime minister,” he lamented.

In a sarcastic tone, he said he feared that the prime minister might soon label these ad-hoc employees as “Indian agents” and deport them on charges of being anti-state.

Mr Khan urged all ad-hoc and contingent paid employees to stay prepared, announcing that the next course of action would be decided after consultations on Sunday. “Our mission is to stem the tide of unemployment and protect these employees. If they are dismissed, the ad-hoc prime minister will also face consequences,” he declared.

Published in Dawn, September 1st, 2024

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