Eighteen out of 36 districts in Punjab have junior officials posted as deputy commissioners, a figure that negates the very claims made by the ruling party about merit, transparency and making the institutions strong.
According to 24NewsHD TV channel, the bureaucrats in Grade-18 are now managing these districts. It also means that the Grade-20 officials of departments like health and education have to deal with these juniors as bosses.
This trend has generated an administrative crisis as it is a clear violation of the related rules and regulations. Hence, senior education and health officials have serious reservations over working under these juniors.
It is a clear expression of Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar’s attempt to reward the bureaucrats from the Pakistan Administrative Service (PAS) – formerly and commonly known as the DMG (District Management Group) – thus leaving the senior officials of other departments at the mercy of juniors.
To start with Lahore which is the most important city in the province, a junior official Danish Afzal is occupying the Grade-20 post. His posting was a result of former chief secretary Yousaf Naseem Khokhar’s recommendation.
Details of the 18 districts having junior deputy commissioners from Grade-18 are given in the following:
Muhammad Asghar Joya (Kasur), Mansoor Ahmed Raja (Nankana Sahib), Usman Ali (Okara), Saif Anwer Jappa (Gujrat), Tariq Ali Basra (Mandi Bahauddin), Naveed Shehzad Mirza (Hafizabad), Rao Pervaiz Akhtar (Jhelum).
Abdullah Nayyer (Sargodha), Umer Sher Chattha (Mianwali), Syed Musa Raza (Bhakkar), Umer Javed (Toba Tek Singh), Agha Zaheer Abbas Shirazi (Khanewal), Babar Bashir (Sahiwal).
Waqas Rashid (Vehari), Ahmed Kamal Maan (Pakpattan), Ali Shehzad (Rahim Yar Khan), Tahir Farooq (DG Khan) and Muhammad Riaz (Chiniot).