Ex-FATA officers still using govt vehicles
A child maid is seen sitting in the boot of a government vehicle in Islamabad's F-10 area. SCREENGRAB
Dozens of vehicles of the provincial health department in the merged districts have not been returned by former officials, it has been learnt.
Sources in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Health Department told The Express Tribune that following the merger of the tribal areas with the province, the post of ex-Fata health services director was abolished while the health directorate was merged in the provincial health department.
According to sources five vehicles bearing registration numbers A-8628, A-8043, A-8283, A-2097 and a vehicle donated by the World Health Organsiation (WHO) which were in the use of the health director have not been returned to the department yet. The former director has refused to return the vehicles to the department, the sources informed.
Similarly, two vehicles bearing registration number A-9496 and AA-2727 which were in the use of an additional secretary and a former health secretary have not been returned to the department yet while another vehicle in the use of former estate officer for merged areas have also not to been handed over to the authority, the sources added.
The health department has already issued notices to all such officers to return the government vehicles to the department, the sources said.
The source added that scores of current health department officials from the merged areas who are not entitled to use government vehicles have also failed to return these to the department.
Former deputy director has not returned vehicle bearing registration number A-9579. The special health secretary still uses a car bearing registration number AA-2288 while mobile hospital programme manager still uses a vehicle bearing registration number A68-2886.
The officials of the rehabilitation programme have two vehicles – A-9242 and A8250 – while litigation assistant, computer operator, Khyber district coordinator have not returned cars bearing registration number A-9737, A-8238, and A-9465 respectively, the sources further informed.
Several other officials have also not returned government vehicles.
The sources further added that vehicles bearing registration number A-2113, A-2109 and A-2093 which had been gifted to the merged districts former health director have not been returned too.
True to the red-tape mismanagement, officials of the department concerned said the records of most of the vehicles have gone missing, the sources informed.
Beside the merged areas, five vehicles of health department are in the use of the administration director of the K-P Director General Health Office while two cars in the use of a grade 17 doctor of the department.
Speaking to The Express Tribune, K-P Health Director General Dr Niaz said that the former health services director of the erstwhile Fata has returned all the vehicles while the rest of the officials have been would soon be served notices to return vehicles. He said the department will take strict action and no one will be allowed to misuse the public property.
FATA, the semi-autonomous tribal region existed from the days of British Raj till merger with the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in 2018. It consisted of seven tribal agencies (districts) and six frontier regions, and were directly governed by Pakistan’s federal government through a special set of laws called the Frontier Crimes Regulations.
On 24 May 2018, the National Assembly of Pakistan voted in favour of an amendment to the Constitution of Pakistan for the FATA-KP merger which was approved by the Senate the following day. Since the change was to affect the province of K-P, it was presented for approval in the K-P May 27, 2018, and passed with majority vote.
On 28 May 2018, the president of Pakistan signed the FATA Interim Governance Regulation.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 8th, 2020.