NAROWAL: Of the 96 candidates finalised for patwari posts by the offices of three assistant commissioners (ACs) of the district, 77 failed in the test given by the deputy commissioner (DC).

The district administration floated a newspaper advertisement for the recruitment of grade nine patwari posts. Up to 867 candidates applied for 26 seats in Narowal tehsil, 556 for 44 Zafarwal tehsil and 824 for 24 Shakargarh tehsil.

ACs gave a written test to the eligible candidates and later on a typing test of Urdu and English. The ACs did not issue the list of successful candidates. The delay in the results panicked candidates who started visiting political camps and AC offices which set in a Rs1.5 million to Rs2 million bribe rate for a patwari recruitment.

Patwari candidates Khurram Shehzad and Mohammad Ibrahim alleged that employees of AC office sold seats against huge bribes.

The ACs sent the list of candidates to the DC office for approval. DC Nabila Irfan, however, reevaluated the 96 candidates, in the presence of the Member Board of Revenue. Of them, only 19 passed the test who have been finalized for recruitment.

Published in Dawn, August 14th, 2021