Appointments of non-locals in Hazara opposed

Department says no suitable candidate from the region applied for the posts.

ABBOTABAD:

The regional parties in Hazara will go on protest if the revenue department hires non-local candidates.

This was said by Hazara Qaumi Mahaz (HQM) President Haneef Gul Khan, HQM Central Chairperson Qazi Muhammad Azhar and leader of Tehrik-e-Shohda-e-Hazara Naseer Khan Jadoon in a press conference here on Wednesday.

They said the external hiring was an “anti-Hazarewal” move by a lobby in Peshawar and divisional headquarter Abbottabad. They said that the revenue department was going to fill 345 posts of grade one to 16, of which the hiring of 20 revenue officers, 20 surveyors and 20 computer operators is almost complete. However, these newly-recruited officials belong to Peshawar, Charsadda, Mardan and other areas from across the Attock Bridge.

They said the “unjustified” decision had “exposed” the designs of the sitting government towards Hazara division, adding that Hazara had enough people qualified to fill the said posts. They added the hiring was only meant for Hazara and not the entire province.

They said that there are more than 10 non-local officials already working in Abbottabad, while under the revenue laws, the authorities were supposed to hire local manpower for settlement. They warned the government of a protest if the candidates from Hazara were not hired for the settlement plan for Abbottabad.

Settlement Tehsildar Aftab Ahmed explained the situation by saying that the provincial revenue department had invited applications from candidates having two to three years of experience in the settlement process. However the applicants from Hazara were either over the maximum allowed or did not have relevant experience.

Forced by the timeline given by the provincial government for completion of settlement of Abbottabad, the department published another ad seeking applications from the candidates fulfilling the criterion from across the province, Aftab added. Responding to a question he rejected the accusation about the violation of rules, saying that the appointments would be made “purely on merit” and not on ethnic grounds.

Meanwhile, more than 60 trained revenue officers, awaiting their appointments in the revenue department, took out a rally on Wednesday and offered to work without salary for six months if they were issued appointment letters in place of the of the non-local officials.

Following the protest, local revenue officials cancelled a written test for the post of revenue officers, which was scheduled to be held at the district council hall Abbottabad on Wednesday.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 28^th, 2011.