Eradication officer accused of malpractice

Mustafa from Mohmand says he was not hired despite being local, fulfilling criteria

SHABQADAR: A man who wants to be hired as a polio worker in Kandao, Pandyali in Mohmand Agency accused the polio eradication officer (PEO), also a World Health Organization (WHO) official, of malpractice. At the Ghallanai Press Club on Monday, Ghulam Mustafa alleged PEO Qayyum Shah was corrupt and does not hire employees on merit.



According to Mustafa, Shah rejected his application, saying he was not a local of Kandao. “However, Shah hired someone who did not fulfil the criteria to perform the job,” said Mustafa, adding Shah did it because he succumbed to pressure from a political party.



Following the rejection, Mustafa sought the Mohmand political agent’s help and got his domicile verified. “However, the PEO still did not accept my application. I was on top of the merit list, but I still wasn’t given the chance,” he said.

At the press conference, Malik Anwar Khan, a well-established trader and a relative of Mustafa, said, if the PEO did not take his decision back, and hire the candidate as per merit, locals will not allow the polio drive to take place in Kandao.

Rebuttal

However, Shah said all candidates have been selected on merit and rejected the allegations brought against him.

Requesting anonymity, a polio worker from the area told The Express Tribune higher-ups had decided in a meeting to hire all polio workers and related staff from the community. “Officials were of the opinion only a local could communicate with his or her community and eradicate the crippling disease at the grass-roots level,” he said. However, they have done the opposite, the worker alleged.



“Most of their staff is from Charsadda. They come to Ghallanai during the polio drive and go back once it ends,” he said, adding this practice has affected the polio eradication drives adversely as these officials lack expertise in the said area. “Therefore, their reports are incomplete and inaccurate as well,” the polio worker said.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 9^th,  2016.