CHINIOT, July 27: Seven education department employees have been working for years despite having fake appointment letters.

The Anti-Corruption Establishment is probing fake appointments of these employees.

These employees are naib qasids Farzand Ali and Nusrat Ali, peon Musarrat Bibi, chowkidars Sher Muhammad and Nusrat Ali, and lab attendants Sadiq Husain and Riaz Husain. They were posted between 1993 and 1997 by headmasters of high schools in the district.

ACE Deputy Director Mian Aftab has launched investigation.

Moving the Lahore High Court, these employees had taken a plea that “since they are working in the education department for many years and no one has objected to their appointment, ACE be barred from conducting an inquiry”.

ACE officials produced the relevant record and the LHC dismissed the petition. The EDO education in a report has declared their appointments fake.

Their modus operandi was that they got fake appointment orders and joining reports and then got themselves transferred to some other schools on fake orders.

The ACE has sought the original record from the Accounts Office for verification. Investigation Officer Mian Aftab, ACE deputy director, was transferred as Mianwali DCO, some 150km away from his hometown Faisalabad.

Interestingly, he came to the ACE on a two-year deputation from the parent department -- Punjab Management Services -- but was repatriated just after two months.

Farzand Ali, one of the alleged employees, said they were appointed according to the laid-down procedure.

The EDO confirmed that these appointment orders were fake and action would be taken against them under the PEEDA Act.

Punjab Teachers Union District President Safdar Kalroo has said a number of fake appointments and ghost employees have been detected, and it is high time appointment letters of all such employees are cancelled.