PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Khan Gandapur has decided to send former director-general (health services) Dr Shaukat Ali on compulsory retirement after an inquiry found him guilty of corruption and misconduct.

Dr Ali, a BPS-20 management cadre officer, was appointed DG (health services) on Jan 17, 2023, but was suspended on April 26, 2024, on charges of corruption.

There followed the formation of a high-level committee by the chief minister to probe those charges.

In an order issued to Dr Ali, the chief minister noted that after going through the findings and recommendations of the inquiry committee, material available on record and other related papers, including Dr Ali’s defence statement recorded with the committee, he was satisfied that the former DG had committed acts of misconduct, inefficiency and corruption, specified in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Government Servants (Efficiency and Discipline) Rules, 2011.

Dr Ali denies charges, claims he’s targeted for declining illegal posting, transfer demands of ‘senior politicians’

“I, as the competent authority, have tentatively decided to impose upon you the penalty of compulsory retirement as per law,” read the order.

Through the order, Dr Ali has been asked to show causes as to why the penalty shouldn’t be imposed on him and inform whether he desires to be heard by the inquiry committee again in person.

“If, no reply to this notice is received within a fortnight, it shall be presumed that you [Dr Ali] have no defence to put in that case, and an ex parte action shall be taken against you,” said the order.

Officials in the health department told Dawn that many inquiries had been initiated against the former DG with their outcome likely to come out in the next few weeks.

They said that one of the inquiries was about the purchase of medicines for the last year 2023-24, during which a departmental probe conducted by senior officials found Rs1.9 billion financial irregularities.

The officials said that in September last year, the current government notified a committee, consisting of the additional chief secretary, establishment and finance secretaries, and adviser to the chief minister on anti-corruption retired Brigadier Mohammad Musaddiq Abbasi, to probe the allegations of misappropriation of medicine funds during the last caretaker government in the province.

They said that the probe committee sent its report to Chief Minister Ali Amin Khan Gandapur, recommending disciplinary action against those found guilty of corruption.

The inquiry report revealed that former director-general (health services) Dr Shaukat Ali, who was suspended in April last year, placed orders with different firms for the supply of Rs4.44 billion medicines without seeking demands from the public sector hospitals and therefore, medicines were procured without need.

However, the former DG (health services) has denied charges, insisting that he had been targeted for refusing to accept illegal posting and transfer demands by “some senior politicians.”

Published in Dawn, February 23rd, 2025