LAHORE: The Punjab additional chief secretary on Thursday formally conveyed to all the administrative secretaries across the province that 101 posts of section officers (BS-17) have been abolished in 40 administrative departments, including 15 operating under the south Punjab civil secretariat.

Earlier this month, the Punjab government had scrapped 101 posts of section officers and converted them into additional assistant commissioner (AAC) positions across 40 administrative departments in the province.

The decision had drawn ire of PMS officers as they said that PAS officers were taking decisions in isolation and pushed their young officers one step below before being posted as regular assistant commissioners in different tehsils. They also argued that PAS officers should also be posted as AACs in equal numbers to genuinely allay their concerns.

However, in the first phase, the Punjab government posted 35 AACs in different Punjab tehsils. The posts were filled by 22 PMS and 13 PAS officers. Interestingly, the PMS officers were transferred from their earlier positions to join as AACs, while the 13 PAS officers serving as AC (UT) were offered additional charge of these AAC posts in their respective areas.

In a fresh notification issued by Punjab Additional Chief Secretary Iftikhar Ali Sahoo, 26 AACs from amongst the section officers, whose posts were abolished, were posted to serve in the field.

The notification, posting AACs in the second phase, explains that 24 PMS officers were transferred and posted as AACs. Among the PAS officers, an AC (UT) was assigned additional charge of the post of Vehari AAC, while another PAS officer serving as Taunsa AAC was transferred and posted as DG Khan AAC against a vacant post.

Published in Dawn, August 14th, 2026