PESHAWAR: Suspension of 27 senior officials and cancellation of recruitment of low cadre employees in the Directorate of Fisheries, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has sparked controversy, bringing the minister concerned and relieved officials face to face.

Minister Mohibullah Khan said that the suspended officials had violated merit in the recruitment of watchers in the directorate and were suspended after an inquiry was conducted into the matter. He said that the suspended officials had brought the directorate on verge of collapse.

On the other hand, the suspended officials alleged that they had been victimised for not obeying “illegal orders” of the minister when he was serving as special assistant to former chief minister Pervez Khattak.

Minister says merit violated in recruitment; officials allege victimisation

“The matter is very simple. The minister, when he was serving as special assistant to the chief minister, wanted recruitment of his own people and we (officials) refused,” said a suspended official. He said that suspension order would be challenged in the court.

The posts of watchmen were advertised in August 2017 and the directorate had to appoint 80 employees through test and interviews. The recruitment process was stopped after private secretary to the then special assistant to the chief minister sent a letter to the agriculture secretary to cancel the process.

“To ensure transparency in the matter, the special assistant to the chief minister for livestock, fisheries and cooperatives has desired that the said recruitment process may please be cancelled immediately, an honest officer may be handed over the affairs of the fisheries department and investigate the matter and submit the report,” the private secretary said in the letter addressed to the agriculture secretary.

The minister denied allegations and said that rules of business authorised private secretary to write letter to the administrative secretary on behalf of the special assistant.

In the meantime, successful candidates challenged cancellation of recruitment in Peshawar High Court. The bench headed by PHC Chief Justice Waqar Seth accepted the petition on September 25 and set aside cancellation of the recruitment.

The court directed the government to resume the recruitment process and appointment the candidates, who met the criteria. The court observed as to how a private secretary could direct the government to cancel recruitment process.

Minister Mohibullah Khan confirmed suspension of 27 officials and said that action had been taken in the light of an inquiry conducted by two senior officers of the department that found those officials guilty.

He said that the inquiry was completed during the tenure of the caretaker government and report was referred to the chief secretary for taking action against them. He said that merit was violated in the appointment of watchers and affected candidates had already moved the court.

The minister said that Fisheries Director Mohammad Diyar had been suspended from his job in the past on charges of malpractices and before assuming charge at the provincial directorate he was made officer on special duty.

He said that Civil Secretariat Fata had surrendered services of the director to the provincial government on charges of misconduct and other “bad practices.”

The minister claimed that “unfair means’ were used during test and interviews and the candidates, who did not qualify test, were selected. Following reports of unfair means the department concerned on the directives of secretary agriculture constituted two-member inquiry committee to look into the charges, he said.

According to the minister, the inquiry committee went through the entire process including marking and malpractices were found. “The entire record of test and interviews has been secured that shows violation of merit and misconduct,” he said.

The notification said that disciplinary proceedings were initiated against those officials under Rule 6 of Efficiency and Disciplinary Rules 2011.

The suspended officials are: director Mohammad Diyar, director of newly merged tribal districts Mohammad Arshad Aziz, Swat director Amanul Mulk, deputy director (headquarters) Zubair Ali, Malakand deputy director Mohammad Ali, Peshawar assistant director Fawad Khalil, Swat/Matta district officer Ibrar Ahmad, Malakand/Lower Dir assistant director Sajjad, Madyan/Shangla assistant director Jaffar Yahya Mian, Chitral district officer Amin Jan and Peshawar assistant research officer Waseem Akram.

The other suspended officials include Upper Dir deputy director Mohammad Ilyas, Kohat deputy director Mohammad Ilyas Khattak, Swat deputy director Jan Sher Khan, Kohat assistant director Wali Jan, assistant director Safeer Janan, Mardan district officer Shahid Mehmood, Bannu district officer Shaukat Ali, Dera Ismail Khan district officer Rast Baz, Tarbela and Khanpur Dam deputy director Khalid Jan, deputy director (headquarters) Amir Hamza, Peshawar district officer Syed Hidayat Shah, assistant director (carp hatchery training) Jan Nisar, Upper assistant director Bakhat Zaman, assistant director (carp hatchery Peshawar) Tahir Jamil, Kohistan/Battagram district officer Taj Mohammad and Nowshera district officer Abdul Wali.

Meanwhile, the department has assigned 27 other officers to look after charge with all financial and administrative powers following suspension of the officials.

Published in Dawn, October 1st, 2018