ISLAMABAD: Punjab’s Excise and Taxation Department has suspended transfer orders of senior officials on the directives of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

The ECP had directed the department to halt the postings and transfers of officials in districts where by-elections were scheduled to be held on Oct 16.

In a massive reshuffle earlier this week, Punjab Excise and Taxation Department had transferred around 50 senior officials across the province. These officials included eight directors, 10 inspectors and 31 excise and taxation officers.

However, on Oct 5, the ECP took notice and directed the department to withdraw the notifications for the districts of Faisalabad, Multan and Nankana Sahib.

The department has also written to the ECP, informing it about the compliance with the directives.

The flurry of transfers and postings by the Punjab Excise and Tax­a­tion Department came a couple of days before Chief Minister Chau­dhry Pervaiz Elahi left for London.

According to the department’s insiders, a retired officer has masterminded these transfers and placements of officials in various districts.

The orders appeared to be an act of retribution against the officers who had enjoyed plush postings during the previous tenure of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) government and even in the brief stint of Hamza Shahbaz-led PML-N government as they were sidelined and handed unsavoury postings.

For example, Tanveer Abbas Gondal, who was working as Excise and Taxation director in Rawalpindi, was given the charge of a less important assignment of Enforcement director.

He was replaced by an official who was posted in Sahiwal.

Likewise, Shahid Ali, a BS-19 officer who was posted as a director in Excise Lahore, was transferred to Sahiwal. His successor Nauman Khalid was a grade 18 officer in Lahore.

Moreover, Operations Director Qamarul Hassan Sajjad was sidelined and asked to report to the Administration Department. He was replaced by Deputy Director Mohammad Sameer, who was previously posted at Gujranwala.

Excise and Taxation Department’s Chief Information Officer Sobia Malik was contacted for comments but she couldn’t be reached.

The by polls on Oct 16 will be held on eight National Assembly seats that were vacated after the acceptance of the resignations of PTI MNAs.

The eight constituencies included NA-22 Mardan, NA-24 Charsadda, NA-31 Peshawar, NA-45 Kurram, NA-108 Faisalabad, NA-118 Nankana Sahib, NA-237 Malir and NA-239 Karachi. The PTI has announced its chief Imran Khan as the candidate on all eight seats.

Published in Dawn, October 8th, 2022