PESHAWAR: The Provincial Civil Service Officers Association has alleged the posting of administrative secretaries and deputy commissioners in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa over political and bureaucratic references.

PCS Association coordinator Fahad Ikram Qazi complained to the chief secretary in a letter that there was a disparity in postings and transfers as inexperienced officers from the Pakistan Administrative Service, which was formerly called DMG Group, were posted as deputy commissioners to major divisional headquarters.

He insisted that senior PCS officers were underutilised in all respects.

Mr Qazi complained that the provincial selection board hadn’t taken place since Dec 2019 for unidentified reasons though vacancies existed for promotion.

He said the 1993 apportionment formula whereby the federal government had ‘unconstitutionally occupied’ key administrative positions was intact causing the continuation of illegalities and exploitation of provincial civil service.

“More than 200 seats are lying vacant in the share of PAS in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and thus, affecting service delivery,” he said.

The association coordinator called for the rectification of the same in line with Article 240(b) of the Constitution.

He said the matters pertaining to civil service and district administration were ‘presented and pursued very poorly’ in courts, so problems emerged for the cadre as well as the provincial government.

Mr Qazi urged the chief secretary to direct the law, home and establishment departments and advocate general to engage capable officers and strictly supervise their cases.

Published in Dawn, May 5th, 2020