ATTOCK, Oct 23: Contrary to the tall claims of the new PML-N-led Punjab government political interference and favoritism in posting and transfer particularly in a more attractive revenue and education departments have played havoc with the district administration system in the last six months, political observers and analysts alleged.

They said reappointments of transferred officers at the same posts and premature transfers of honest and public-friendly officers at the district had not only created unrest among the public but also brought the credibility of the Punjab government in question.

The recent victim of this interference is what should be called the outgoing executive district officer (EDO) revenue Rana Mohammad Tahir Khan. He was appointed on September 13 after the transfer of his predecessor Ziaul Hassan, who had served for about five years.

Sources in the revenue department said EDO Mr Tahir soon after assuming his office started to streamline the revenue department besides taking other corrective measures on war-footing.

The sources said but the local leaders of the ruling party tried to bring him to their terms.

The EDO was asked by a ruling party representative to appoint a Naib Tehsildar at Fatehjang tehsil, where two naib tehsildars were already working.

The new appointee, who was earlier on ex-Pakistan leave, gave joining on October 9 to the local revenue department and the same day he was sent to Fatehjang tehsil under the intimation of DCO’s office. He was given eight revenue circles of the tehsil.

But after a few days the EDO was again approached by the same representative and asked him to reshuffle the revenue circles conveying him that it was the verbal order of CM secretariat, the sources maintained.

He reshuffled the circle on October 17, but such act irked another bigwig of the ruling party in Rawalpindi division and he was asked to withdraw the order or face the music, the sources said. But the EDO refused to withdraw his orders.

This led to his transfer on Wednesday and he was asked to report Service & General Administration department (S&GAD) Punjab as OSD, sources said.

Besides the premature transfers, the reappointment of transferred officers on their pervious posts was also affecting the local government system. A number of officers of various district government departments were transferred from Attock district after formation of new Punjab government but they were reappointed after ‘wheeling and dealing’.

The executive district education officer (EDO) education Ansar Wazir had been transferred in May this year after about over three-year service tenure. But he got reappointment on his previous seat in June after one month of his posting.

The chief secretary Punjab was not available on telephone despite repeated calls.