MUZAFFARABAD: AJK anti-corruption department (ACD) has shelved an inquiry against the acting principal of state-run AJK Medical College Muzaffarabad, citing issue of “jurisdiction” and leaving the complainants from faculty bewildered, sources told Dawn.

The inquiry was initiated by ACD late last on a complaint submitted by Prof Dr Javed Akhtar Rathore, Prof Dr Adnan Mehraj and Prof Dr Raja Muhammad Ijaz Khan, members of the AJK Medical College (AJKMC) faculty, to Chief Secretary Mathar Niaz Raza.

The complainants had alleged that acting principal Dr Sarosh Majid Salaria had simultaneously held positions in AJK and Punjab governments “in sheer violation of rules and regulations”.

According to them, Mr Salaria was serving as additional principal medical officer (APMO) in BS-19 in primary and secondary healthcare department Punjab and his services were transferred to the special healthcare and medical education department Punjab on Dec 4 last year.

On Dec 30, the same year he stood retired from Punjab government service on attaining superannuation.

Mr Salaria had joined the AJKMC Muzaffarabad as associate professor of histopathology on April 2, 2012, and he was elevated as professor of pathology after three years. Since Dec 2017, he had been looking after the AJKMC affairs as “charge” principal. He does not possess the requisite Level-III qualifications for the post of principal.

According to the complainants, they were told by the ACD that not only an explanation had been sought from Mr Salaria but a letter had also been written to the AGPR for some salary related information.

They said while they were waiting for recording of their statements, they learnt that the ACD had shelved the inquiry.

“The allegations [levelled] and issues [raised] in your complaint are related to the service rules and [therefore] the department concerned should be moved for any relief, if required, in this regard,” the complaints were told by an ACD official on Aug 7 through a letter.

“In this backdrop the competent authority has declared the complaint as non-maintainable in ACD and decided to shelve the inquiry,” the letter concluded.

On his part, Dr Salaria maintained before the ACD that the application against him was “factually incorrect and based on mala-fide”.

“I have remained on Extraordinary Leave (EOL) without pay from April 1, 2012 to Sept 30, 2018, which I have availed as APMO in BS-19 in Postgraduate Medical Institute Lahore (PGMI) Lahore... I have superannuated in the same capacity on Dec 30, 2018,” he said.

He asserted that he had not received any remunerations from the Punjab government during EOL from April 2012 to Sept 2018.

Mr Salaria also submitted two letters purported to have been written by two officials in Punjab in his defence. One letter written by additional dean PGMI Lahore on Aug 6, 2019 stated that Mr Salaria “has worked” as APMO in PGMI from “April 2012 to Dec 2018.”

When Dawn asked Mr Salaria as to where was he present from Oct 1 to Dec 30, 2018 – when he was not on leave from the Punjab government - he could not give a plausible reply.

“I was in [AJKMC] Muzaffarabad... And I haven’t claimed any monetary benefit from Punjab,” he maintained.

In response to some questions, Chief Secretary Rana asserted that the ACD worked independently and could be approached for clarification of any ambiguity.

The ACD had been without a DG since Aug7. However, on Thursday Ansar Yaqoob was posted as its new DG.

Published in Dawn, August 23rd, 2019