MUZAFFARABAD, Feb 26: The office-bearers of Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) in Rawalakot are yet to take over their job owing to alleged law and order threat by a handful of People’s Party activists in the area, it has been learnt.

On February 18, some PPAJK activists had taken out a demonstration in Rawalakot, alleging that they had been ignored in inductions in the programme.

According to witnesses, the demonstrators had also locked the doors of tehsil office of BISP, established in a rented building in the heart of city.

The locks had not been replaced even after the lapse of a week on Friday.

When contacted by Dawn over telephone, Sardar Zahir Hussain, BISP’s deputy director for Poonch division, admitted that “there had been a dispute over the appointments which had subsequently created a law and order problem.”He hinted that “since the People’s Party activists had been appointed at many places those in Rawalakot tehsil felt to have been left out in the cold.”

“There has been hue and cry… Since it’s a party programme, the (Peoples) party activists have taken out processions (against the appointments). They have threatened us as well,” he said.

However, the impression given by Mr Hussain was strongly dispelled by Chaudhry Mohammad Ishaque, BISP’s regional director for AJK, saying the BISP was a government’s initiative and all positions in it had been or would be filled on merit.Responding to the queries by Dawn, he asserted that one each assistant director, assistant complaint officer, peon and night watchman had been appointed in 21 out of 29 tehsils of AJK early this month “without giving favour or preference to any person.”

Appointments in three tehsils of snowbound Neelum valley, on tehsil of Leepa valley would be made at the close of winter season whereas two each tehsils of Poonch and Sudhnoti districts would be notified shortly, he added.

Mr Ishaque asserted that applications for these posts were invited at a post office box without advertising the name of the hiring agency only for the sake of attracting candidates who fulfilled the laid down criteria.

According to him, it was decided that the four-member staff at each tehsil headquarter should belong to that particular tehsil and in the event of non-availability to the district concerned.

When questioned about the problem in Rawalakot, he said the four-member staff, headed by a female assistant director, had already given the joining report.

“On our request, all deputy commissioners have assured us to provide protection to our staff,” he said.