Alleged corruption: Former agriculture DGR to be reappointed

Dept insider says official’s appointment has been approved.

PESHAWAR:

A former director general research (DGR) of the provincial agriculture department removed during the tenure of the previous government for inefficiency and alleged corruption is likely to be reappointed DGR.

An official of the agriculture department told The Express Tribune former DGR Nazir Hussain Shah’s appointment summary has been approved by the department’s senior officials. If appointed, Shah will replace the current DGR, Abdul Latif, who was appointed in April 2013.

DGR Abdul Latif told The Express Tribune he was not aware of the shuffle. “I have no idea about the approval of any summary regarding the appointment of a new DGR and it is not my concern,” said Latif.

Rinse and repeat

Requesting anonymity, an insider told The Express Tribune Shah was removed from his office in 2013 by former agriculture secretary and now Malakand Commissioner Afsar Khan for malpractice. “As the DGR, Shah placed government vehicles and employees at the disposal of the then agriculture minister Arbab Ayub Jan for his personal use,” claimed the official.

As the accusations flowed, the official added Shah also supported all illegal moneymaking processes in the department. “He [Shah] demanded a share in the production of each and every crop in all research stations of the province,” claimed the official.

Former agriculture secretary Afsar Khan confirmed he had earlier removed Shah from the post of DGR due to inefficiency. Khan maintained he had followed the proper official procedure in doing so.

According to Khan, no enquiry was conducted against Shah but action was taken against him over incompetency in official matters. “During his tenure, the pace of research projects was minimal and there were several other matters he could not deal with,” said Khan.

When asked why Shah was being considered for the post again, Khan said, “I found him to be an inefficient DGR, but maybe the present department seniors consider him the best for the job. It is their choice.”

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) former agriculture minister Ikramullah Gandapur declined to comment on the issue. Gandapur was disqualified by an election tribunal on Wednesday.

However, Gandapur’s assistant secretary claimed the order and summary of Shah’s appointment has been put on hold by the chief minister and there was no confirmation of his appointment.

Meanwhile, Shah who is currently working as the senior director outreach at the agriculture department also could not verify if his appointment as DGR was certain. “My appointment summaries have been approved many times in the past but no notifications have been issued,” Shah told The Express Tribune.

He claimed his transfer in 2013 was a routine shuffle and was not performance-based. According to Shah, several other government officials were transferred at the time and later the Supreme Court declared the transfers null and void, but despite that he was not reappointed DGR.

Shah insisted he had doubled production at various research stations in the province during his tenure and pushed all employees to work honesty. “I have a clear track record and that can be verified from the anti-corruption department,” Shah added.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 25^th, 2014.