BAHAWALNAGAR: The agriculture department is yet to respond to a letter by the deputy commissioner which says the official selected as additional secretary of the Bahawalnagar market committee (ASMC) is ineligible to hold the post.

Disregarding the official recommendation, Agriculture Secretary Wasif Khursheed appointed Hafiz Muhammad Tahir, a grade 11 official, against whom several inquiries are ongoing, giving him additional charge.

Sources said Tahir was suspended for poor performance by former DC Rana Saleem Afzal who had also ordered an inquiry against him. They alleged that Punjab Zakat and Usher Minister Shaukat Ali Lalika used his influence and had him posted against the grade 17 post. They said Tahir had been working at the same place for almost three decades due to his strong connections.

According to the letter sent by Bahawalnagar DC Shoaib Khan Judoon on Jan 7 to the agriculture secretary, Hafiz Muhammad Tahir was ineligible for the post of ASMC.

The letter said that Mr. Tahir had no experience to tackle the issues like rationalisation of prices of agriculture commodities, look after auction proceedings in fruit and vegetable market on a daily basis and management of other affairs of markets.

The letter rather recommended the name of an appllicant, Haroonabad Market Committee Secretary Ateeque-Ur-Rahman, for the post in question.

Mr Attique had applied for the MC position in October 2018 on wedlock basis. When it fell vacant in December last, his request was approved by the Bahawalnagar Market Committee assistant director, a requirement under the law. Hafiz Muhammad Tahir was not available for comments.

Rao Najamuz Zaman, a relative of Attique, claimed the minister had earlier hampered Attique’s appointment as SMC Haroonabad. He said Attique later got the post through court orders.

Minister Shukat Ali Lalika was called for his version but his phone was powered off. However, his nephew, Umar Zaman Lalika, claiming himself as an official spokesperson of the minister, told Dawn that Lalika had no involvement in the appointment of Hafiz Tahir.

He said that if Tahir’s appointment was illegal or his performance was poor, the administration should take appropriate action.

Dawn waited for three days to get agriculture secretary’s comment but he neither attended the call nor responded to text messages.

Published in Dawn, February 17th, 2020