MUZAFFARABAD: The Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) government on Friday appeared to be on the warpath with Islamabad, after it assigned the additional charge of the additional chief secretary development (ACS-D) to its own officer in defiance of a federal government decision.

According to a notification issued by the AJK Services and General Administration Department (S&GAD), Prime Minister Sardar Tanveer Ilyas had assigned the additional charge of the vacant post of ACS-D to Fayyaz Ali Abbasi, a BS-22 officer of the AJK civil service presently posted as additional chief secretary general (ACS-G), till further orders.

Mr Abbasi assumed the charge in compliance with the notification shortly afterwards.

On Wednesday, the Establishment Division had notified the transfer and posting of Mr Muzaffar Khan, a BS-19 officer of the Pakistan Administrative Service (PAS), as AJK’s ACS-D.

Denouncing the move at a function in the PM House the same night, PM Ilyas had given a clear indication that he would not accept it because the ACS-D had to preside over official meetings where participants included the secretaries to the AJK government, many of whom were serving either in BS-21 or BS-22.

According to a separate Establishment Division issued on Thursday, Mr Muzaffar Khan had replaced Dr Sajid Mahmood Chauhan, a BS-20

PAS officer, who was transferred and posted as joint secretary in the Gilgit Baltistan Council secretariat in Islamabad.

Published in Dawn, September 24th, 2022