Despite repeated claims of good governance and merit-based administration by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, significant inconsistencies continue to surface in postings and transfers across the province.
The latest administrative reshuffle has triggered unease within the provincial bureaucracy, exposing serious shortcomings in the posting and transfer mechanism. Several senior officers remain posted as Officers on Special Duty (OSDs), while comparatively junior officials have been appointed to key positions, raising concerns about governance priorities and the observance of merit.
Responding to these concerns, Chief Minister Sohail Afridi told this correspondent that all postings and transfers were carried out strictly on merit, in line with established rules and performance benchmarks, and without any political interference or personal discretion.
Official records show that senior grade officers including Mehmud ul Hassan PAS BPS 21, Arshad Khan PCS SG BPS 21, Zaka Ullah Khattak PCS EG BPS 21, Amer Afaq PMS BPS 20, Muhammad Ali Shah PCS EG BPS 20, as well as Yousaf Rahim BS20, Saqib Raza BS20, Mohammad Tahir Orakzai BS20, and Inayat Ullah Mohmand BS20 remain OSDs despite multiple vacant administrative slots.
In contrast, several BS19 officers have been posted to positions traditionally reserved for BPS20 and BPS21 officers. These include Abid Wazir PAS BS19 as Secretary Industries, Commerce and Technical Education, and Zafar ur Islam PAS BS19 as Secretary Local Government, Elections and Rural Development under Section 10 of the Civil Servants Act. Other notable appointments include Khalid BS19 as Commissioner Bannu and Captain (R) Mian Adil Iqbal BS19 as Secretary Labour.
Another major anomaly involves three Secretariat Group officers in BPS21, Masood Ahmad PCS SG, Mohammad Javed Marwat PCS EG, and Dawood Khan PCS SG, appointed as Commissioners of Malakand, Mardan, and DI Khan respectively, despite having never served in operational administration positions such as assistant commissioner or deputy commissioner. Their entire careers were spent in the secretariat, raising serious concerns about operational competence and field experience.
Further irregularities appear in the Local Government Department, where Secretary Zafar ur Islam BS19 is supervising Special Secretary Arshad Khan BS20, effectively placing a senior officer under a junior one and further unsettling the administrative balance.
Concerns have also been raised regarding dual charge and deputation postings. Abid Majeed PCS SG BPS 21 continues as Additional Chief Secretary Home while also serving as Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister. Zubair PAS BS19 is functioning as Additional Secretary Governor Secretariat while simultaneously serving as Principal Secretary to the Governor.
Mazhar Irshad IRS BPS 20 has since been repatriated to the Inland Revenue Service, yet his earlier posting in the Governor Secretariat had already drawn criticism. Adil Safi of the Planning and Development Service is serving as Managing Director ETEA while also holding the post of Special Secretary to the Chief Minister. Usman Zaman, Public Prosecutor BS19, is posted as Director General Monitoring and Evaluation P & D on a BS20 slot, while Shah Mehmood PAAS BS20 remains on deputation as Secretary Food.
It has also emerged that the Director Anti-Corruption is on deputation from the Prosecution Service and holds a BPS19 rank, another example of key accountability roles being assigned outside the relevant cadre. Additionally, Qaiser Alam from the Protocol Service has been posted as Managing Director Elementary and Secondary Education Foundation, a position traditionally reserved for PAS or PMS cadres, further reinforcing concerns about deviations from established service rules and merit-based postings.
Source: The News
