LOWER DIR/BAJAUR: Malakand division commissioner Iqbal Hussain Bacha has ordered strict action against ‘ghost’ employees and absentee staff in the education and health departments, prompting the Lower Dir education authorities to direct school heads to verify staff attendance and cancel unauthorised and need-based transfers.
District education officer Mushtaq Ahmad on Friday issued a notification to all male and female principals, deputy district education officers and assistant sub-divisional education officers (ASDEOs) in Lower Dir to immediately cancel staff detailing and need-based transfers. The order warned of departmental action against heads who failed to comply.
The directives follow a meeting chaired by the divisional commissioner and attended by deputy commissioners, additional deputy commissioners, district education officers, medical superintendents, district health officers and heads of educational monitoring bodies from across Malakand division.
Cancellation of unauthorised, need-based transfers also ordered
According to sources privy to the development, the commissioner said nearly 70pc of the provincial government’s budget was spent on education and health, stressing the need for a results-oriented approach to ensure that public spending translated into better services.
He announced a zero-tolerance policy towards teacher absenteeism and ‘ghost’ employees, making school principals personally responsible for ensuring daily attendance. If a principal failed to take action against an absent teacher, the relevant ASDEO would be required to initiate departmental proceedings against the principal.
The commissioner also directed ASDEOs to conduct regular field visits and monitor schools instead of remaining in their offices.
To strengthen accountability, principals have been directed to submit certificates confirming that no ‘ghost’ employee is working at their schools. Deputy district education officers will also submit daily attendance and monitoring reports to their respective district education officers to enable prompt action against irregularities.
In Bajaur, authorities have decided to take strict action against ‘ghost’ employees and those not attending to their duties for a long time in the education and health departments, sources said on Friday.
They said the decision was taken in light of instructions issued by deputy commissioner Adnan Farid Afridi to the heads of both departments a day earlier.
According to sources, the deputy commissioner took serious notice of reports that several employees in both departments were either long-term absentees or non-existent and directed their heads to take legal action against them.
A source privy to the development told Dawn that both departments have begun compiling lists of ‘ghost’ employees and those absent from duty.
The sources said most of the ‘ghost’ and absentee staff were lower-grade employees and teachers, and a majority of them belonged to influential families.
There was no record immediately available showing the exact number of ‘ghost’ and long-term absentee employees, the source added.
Published in Dawn, October 24th, 2026
