January 2, 2002	Wednesday	Shawwal 17, 1422

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MULTAN, Jan 1: The Health Department secretary has served a show cause notice on a senior official under the Removal From Service Ordinance, 2000, for writing a letter of felicitation to Gen Pervez Musharraf.

Dr Iqbal Ahmad Khan, a former director of health services, believes that the notice has been issued in violation of the Lahore High Court order granting status quo on his petition alleging victimization for resisting and exposing irregularities in the department. He has also been served two notices for disciplinary action.

Dr Khan, currently an officer on special duty, has an outstanding service. In its remarks during the hearing of a case, a Multan Bench of the Lahore High Court, had described him as the most disciplined officer. The Punjab Public Accounts Committee had declared him the most honest Health Department officer. Only recently the department had declared him one of the best health services directors in the province.

Dr Khan is a recipient of certificates of honour from the World Health Organization and the National Institute of Health for the eradication of guinea-worm disease from the country. In 1997, the then president of Pakistan had directed the department to submit his bio-data for consideration for a presidential award for distinguished services. In view of his service record and seniority, he was being considered for promotion to the post of the health services director-general when an application alleging ‘malpractice’ was filed against him. A summary outlining the charges was then sent by the department to the governor and the Army Monitoring Team.

Dr Khan said the ‘misconduct’ alleged in the application had been the subject of as many as 10 inquiries. The authorities and agencies investigating the matter — including the Governor’s Inspection Team, the Health Department, the DGHS, the army monitoring teams, the district magistrate, the divisional commissioner, the federal Anti-Corruption Committee, the Punjab Anti-Corruption Establishment, and the former divisional committees — had all exonerated him. The inquiry teams had that the complaints were motivated to malign the fair reputation of an honest and upright officer. Some of the inquiry officers had termed the complainants ‘professional blackmailers.’

The Regional Accountability Bureau, however, has approved the complaint for investigation. Dr Khan has since been taken off field assignments and the secretary has stopped his salary.