ATTOCK, Oct 19: The tug of war between the district government affiliated with the PML-Q and the local administration supported by the PML-N has taken a new turn after the district nazim warned the education department against terminating the services of schoolteachers and recruiting new ones.

The nazim has also directed the director general public relations (DGPR) Punjab not to publish any advertisement regarding the proposed recruitments in the education department, it has been learnt.

In an executive order, the district nazim, Tahir Sadiq Khan, said his office had received a report from the district education committee on September 10, saying a large number of male and female teachers employed by the district government were being sacked and a plan had been maneuvered to fill the vacancies on political grounds.

An advertisement has also reportedly been sent to the DGPR Punjab, Lahore, by the education department to invite applications against the posts wherein teachers are already working, he said.

The nazim said a conspiracy was being hatched against the teachers by the district administration authorities including the executive district officer education and some politicians.

He said the posts had already been filled through prescribed procedures as laid down by the then provincial government, while former chief minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi had confirmed the recruitments.

Moreover, it has been learnt that a mafia has become active in minting money through different tactics including fresh appointments, he alleged.

The nazim said under these circumstances, it has become expedient to exercise his executive authority under section 18 of the Punjab Local Government Ordinance 2001.

“It is hereby directed that the draft advertisement sent to DGPR should immediately be withdrawn, because no serving teacher should be disturbed in any case by the tactics of fresh recruitments, as it would entail lengthy litigation besides causing damage to the image of the district government among the masses,” the order added.