PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has taken over all moveable and immoveable assets of the defunct Fata, including vehicles and residential quarters, after the region’s merger with the province except its permanent and contractual employees.

The future of around 3,000 employees, including 2,600 contractual ones, hangs in balance. Working in various departments and attached directorates in the secretariat for the merged tribal districts, they are reportedly to be put in the surplus pool.

The information gathered from multiple sources said both federal and provincial governments had repatriated its permanent employees working on deputation in the civil secretariat for the defunct Fata after its merger with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

CM adviser says govt to look into all issues of secretariat

The employees of the defunct Fata secretariat renamed as merged areas secretariat that included 2,600 employees hired for various projects on contract, 270 permanent employees of the defunct Fata Development Corporation and around 130 regular employees of the merged areas secretariat working in various grades have been left in the lurch.

Before merger, the finance division used to cater to the budgetary requirements both developmental and recurrent expenditure of the erstwhile Fata. In the wake of merger in May 2018, the federal government placed all attached directorates under the administrative control of the respective departments of KP.

“The federal government also allocated Rs5.7 billion on account of salaries of Levies and Khasadars and 56,983 of sanctioned posts in BPS 1-21 of civil administration for the employees of provincial government, defunct Fata DC, Fata secretariat employees, line directorates and autonomous bodies,” said an official document.

“The requisite funds (recurrent as well as development) for erstwhile Fata may be transferred to the KP government for the next financial 2019-02 onward pending new NFC Award,” said the document.

Sources said a proposal was under consideration to put 3,000 regular and contractual employees in the surplus pool instead of merging them with the provincial cadres.

Employees of secretariat for the merged districts have started protest in Peshawar.

Protest at the secretariat has become a regular feature as the employees have been boycotting duties for three hours daily for the last one week. The Warsak Road in front of the secretariat for merged tribal district was closed to traffic on Wednesday paralysing official engagements.

“The KP government took over Fata House, Islamabad, 17 bungalows in Hayatabad, Peshawar, Officers Colony for Fata employees, rest houses, and dozens of vehicles but did not own employees of the secretariat,” said an official.

He said 130 regular employees from BPS-4 to BPS-18 were appointed to the defunct civil secretariat against various posts in 2004.

The official said the federal government had transferred the salary budget for regular employees to the provincial government for financial year 2018-19 after the KP-Fata merger but despite that, they were being put in the surplus pool.

He said the Peshawar High Court and Supreme Court had already directed for the adjustment of 18 finance and planning officers of the merged areas secretariat.

Similarly, 270 permanent employees of the defunct Fata DC whose services were handed over to the civil secretariat in 2002 are facing the same phenomenon and they may be sent to the proposed surplus pool.

Officials said employees of the defunct Fata DC, many of them were on the verge of retirement, had been working against sanctioned posts.

“The KP government is legally bound to adjust all regular and contractual employees of the former Fata secretariat in concerned departments instead of creating surplus pool for them,” said a senior official.

He said the provincial government had regularised around 8,000 contract employees working in various project under the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (Regularisation of Services) Act, 2018.

“The KP government should also apply the same act for regularising 2,600 project employees of the defunct Fata,” he said.

When contacted, adviser to the chief minister on merged tribal districts Ajmal Wazir said the government would look into the issues of the merged areas secretariat.

He said the decision regarding absorption of Khasadars and Levies into KP police had been finalised and that the personnel had postponed their protest.

“The absorption of Khasadars was very tricky issue. Now, the government will address the issues of other employees in accordance to the law very soon,” he said, adding that the government would not render a single employee jobless.

Mr Wazir said he would soon hold negotiations with the protesting employees.

Published in Dawn, April 4th, 2019