LAHORE, May 17: Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) authorities have ordered withholding the salaries of more than 300 work-charged employees declaring their credentials dubious, Dawn has learnt.

The appointment of these employees, a majority of them Shahdara residents, was made before the May 11 elections in back dates, it was learnt on Friday.

Documents made available to Dawn reveal that the posts, including security assistants, point commanders, security supervisors and guards, were shown filled from March 1 to 8 only to dodge a ban on recruitments by the Election Commission of Pakistan.

The ETPB chief security officer (CSO) notified these appointments through various letters on March 15. A few notifications were even undated.

Documents indicate that ETPB officials issued a corrigendum on March 25 informing the subordinates about certain mistakes in names and addresses of the daily wagers recruited for 89 days initially.

When the employees demanded their first salary in April, the ETPB investigated the appointments and denied salaries to them because of budgetary constraints.“Please refer to the appointment of people (56, 66 and 179 in three phases) and other such appointments made under your signature. These appointments are ante-dated beyond any shadow of doubt,” a letter written by the ETPB’s controller of accounts to the CSO on April 16 reads.

“It has further been observed that a number of appointments among these are fake and bogus as well. Needless to mention here that these appointments are being made in excess of the budget allocation of the fiscal year 2012-13 and without sanctioned posts,” reads the letter, and quoted the ETPB secretary as directing the accounts department to avoid releasing payments for the salaries of such employees.

“You are, therefore, requested to cancel all such ante-dated and unlawful appointment orders even issued earlier under your own signature to avoid any unhappy incident (protest by the employees regarding salary denial) as occurred on April 16,” the letter says.

The ETPB secretary had earlier signed with then chairman Asif Hashmi on the minute sheet of December, 2012, prepared after a meeting that allowed such recruitments.

Later, the secretary took a hard stance on these appointments, directing his subordinates to avoid issuing salaries to newcomers.

“It was brought to the notice of the ETPB secretary that Rs20 million were allocated for the salaries of 89-day staff for the year 2012-13. But Rs62.500 million have already been spent till March 31, 2013, which is in excess of the budgetary allocation,” a letter issued on April 16 by the accounts controller to all ETPB administrators and senior officials reads.