Decrying the shuffle: Info dept officer, forest officials take K-P govt to court
Petitioner accuses PTI of wanting to induct its own political workers.
PESHAWAR:
Disgruntled with their latest postings to the Pakistan Forest Institute (PFI), officials took the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) government to court on Monday through two separate petitions.
Challenging his transfer before the Peshawar High Court, the first petitioner, Station Director Pakhtunkhwa Radio, Shuaibuddin, claimed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf was turning the information department into its own media cell. He pointed out he was working on BPS-18 despite the fact that he was eligible for promotion to the post of director information (BPS-19).
He named the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) government, secretary establishment department, secretary information, public relations and culture as well as the secretary environment as respondents.
“The reluctance of the respondents to consider the promotion is illegal and unlawful. The petitioner has every right to be promoted to BPS-19,” the petition reads.
It alleged that a notification dated July 4, 2014, posting Shuaibuddin as an assistant director (BPS-17) in the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), was mala fide and indicated that the petitioner was being victimised.
The petition highlighted that the complainant had served twice as a deputy director and once as station director and since these posts were of BPS-18, the respondents had no right to adjust him in a lower pay scale.
“Unfortunately, to politicise the information department and to use it as its media cell, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf has decided to induct its political workers in the information department. However, it was finding it difficult to make such adjustments in the presence of experienced officials. That is the reason this dubious reorganisation was carried out and a summary to this effect was prepared and approved by the chief executive of the province,” stated the appeal.
It maintained that only 65 information department employees were retained, while 141 were transferred to different departments to make room for political workers.
The second petition was filed by 100 employees of Pakistan Forest Institute including technicians, lab technicians, upper division clerks, foresters, field assistants and others. Thirty eight employees of the information department were made respondents.
They too pointed to the notification of July 4 which adjusted them to different posts in the EPA. The petitioners said this was illegal and against their rights.
“The posts against which these employees are being adjusted can only be filled by officials with the relevant qualification and experience.”
The petition states that one the one hand, the complainants would be deprived of their rights of promotion, while on the other, non technical staff had been posted to purely technical posts in the PFI.
The petitions were filed through Advocates Ijaz Anwer and Zartaj Anwer.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 15th, 2014.
Disgruntled with their latest postings to the Pakistan Forest Institute (PFI), officials took the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) government to court on Monday through two separate petitions.
Challenging his transfer before the Peshawar High Court, the first petitioner, Station Director Pakhtunkhwa Radio, Shuaibuddin, claimed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf was turning the information department into its own media cell. He pointed out he was working on BPS-18 despite the fact that he was eligible for promotion to the post of director information (BPS-19).
He named the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) government, secretary establishment department, secretary information, public relations and culture as well as the secretary environment as respondents.
“The reluctance of the respondents to consider the promotion is illegal and unlawful. The petitioner has every right to be promoted to BPS-19,” the petition reads.
It alleged that a notification dated July 4, 2014, posting Shuaibuddin as an assistant director (BPS-17) in the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), was mala fide and indicated that the petitioner was being victimised.
The petition highlighted that the complainant had served twice as a deputy director and once as station director and since these posts were of BPS-18, the respondents had no right to adjust him in a lower pay scale.
“Unfortunately, to politicise the information department and to use it as its media cell, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf has decided to induct its political workers in the information department. However, it was finding it difficult to make such adjustments in the presence of experienced officials. That is the reason this dubious reorganisation was carried out and a summary to this effect was prepared and approved by the chief executive of the province,” stated the appeal.
It maintained that only 65 information department employees were retained, while 141 were transferred to different departments to make room for political workers.
The second petition was filed by 100 employees of Pakistan Forest Institute including technicians, lab technicians, upper division clerks, foresters, field assistants and others. Thirty eight employees of the information department were made respondents.
They too pointed to the notification of July 4 which adjusted them to different posts in the EPA. The petitioners said this was illegal and against their rights.
“The posts against which these employees are being adjusted can only be filled by officials with the relevant qualification and experience.”
The petition states that one the one hand, the complainants would be deprived of their rights of promotion, while on the other, non technical staff had been posted to purely technical posts in the PFI.
The petitions were filed through Advocates Ijaz Anwer and Zartaj Anwer.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 15th, 2014.