PESHAWAR: After a prolonged legal battle, senior additional secretary Kifayatullah Khan Afridi has been finally promoted as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly secretary on regular basis.

“On recommendations of the departmental promotion committee No 1 and in exercise of the powers conferred on him by Rule-10 read with Rule-6 of the KP Provincial Assembly Secretariat (Recruitment) Rules, 1974, Speaker Mushtaq Ahmed Ghani promoted Mr Kifayatullah Afridi, senior additional secretary (BPS-20) of the Provincial Assembly Secretariat, against the vacant post of secretary (BPS-21) on regular basis with immediate effect,” according to a notification issued here on Friday.

On Sept 27, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Services Tribunal had set aside appointment of secretary of the assembly and directed the speaker to constitute a new departmental promotion committee for making fresh recommendations for filling the post.

The speaker had constituted the departmental promotion committee on Nov 1. The body comprised MPAs Mohammad Abdul Salam, Ms Nighat Orakzai, Sardar Aurangzaib Nalotha and special secretary/director IT Atullah Khan.

Kifayatullah Afridi had started his legal battle in 2017 soon after the appointment of Nasrullah Khan as secretary of the assembly.

Mr Afridi had challenged appointment of Nasrullah Khan, stating that he was junior to him and his appointment was in violation of an earlier order of the tribunal.

Published in Dawn, November 6th, 2021