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Political expediency is creating resentment among senior officers in Balochistan

Quetta: Senior officers have either been sidelined or been placed subordinate to their junior officers in Balochistan in violation of the service rules – a situation that is creating complications in the service structure and resentment among senior bureaucrats.

However, Balochistan Chief Minister Abdul Quddus Bizenjo seems to have left the government departments at the mercy of ministers and even MPAs to secure his ruling coalition.

Bizenjo has to deal with an opposition comprising 23 lawmakers, numerically the strongest opposition in the provincial legislature’s history. However, practically no opposition exists for Bizenjo.

The opposition lawmakers include two former chief ministers – Nawab Aslam Raisani and Nawab Sanaullah Zahri. These two politicians seldom unite to give a tough time to the government.

The Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) is the second largest party in the provincial assembly. The party recently announced not to join the Bizenjo government.

Federal Minister for Housing Maulana Abdul Wasey – who is also the provincial chief of the JUI-F – had earlier agreed to join the ruling coalition on the condition that the JUI-F would be given 5 ministerial positions; two positions of advisers and the position of provincial assembly speaker.

In the meanwhile, Bizenjo, who followed the advice of Senate Chairman Sadiq Sunjrani, started convincing the Balochistan National Party (BNP-M), the second largest opposition group, to join the provincial government in an apparent bid to counter the JUI-F.

The CM also did not attend meetings scheduled with the JUI-F delegation, a situation that Wasay later found humiliating for him and his party.

Incensed, he called the JUI-F parliamentary party meeting and announced that his party would now act as a real opposition. He also didn’t spare BNP-M and claimed that some “BNP members are always seen in the bedroom of Bizenjo”.

The BNP-M instead of engaging in a verbal spat with the JUI-F leader complained to JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rahman who while apologizing to the party which is part of the coalition government in the Centre asked BNP-M chief Akhtar Mengal not to pay any heed to such petty issues.

Despite Maulana Wasey’s claims that the JUI-F would now act as the real opposition, the party members started paying frequent visits to the Chief Minister Secretariat for various favors including transfer and posting of the officers of their choice.

The government ensured that these meetings get proper coverage in print, social and electronic media in a bid to give the impression that the government and the opposition are on excellent terms.

However, due to this political interference, government officials particularly the senior ones feel insecure as they are often dumped in the Chief Minister Inspection Team (CMIT)– a unit which is supposed to inspect development projects to maintain quality of work and conduct inquiries against corrupt officials.

This unit has become a pool of officers without jobs for the last decade or so. Whenever the government and its ministers get angry with any officer, who does not follow the instructions of the Chief Minister Secretariat or ministers, he is transferred to the CMIT.

Once the CMIT consisted of four members including a chairman but now it comprises dozens of officers.

Well reputed senior officers like Ghulam Ali Baloch, Sabor Kakar, Zafar Ali Bokhari, Asfanyar Kakar are either posted in less important departments or transferred to the CMIT.

Ghulam Ali who once served as secretary home and tribal affairs, secretary education and secretary mines and mineral was given the post of secretary prosecution after he knocked the doors of court.

The ministers often get junior officers posted as secretaries in their departments so that they may not face any resistance in implementation of their unlawful orders.

In this regard, the role of chief secretary is very important.

The chief secretary is supposed to be the chief executive of the province who maintains good relations between the province and the federal government besides ensuring implementation of services according to rules and regulations.

But unfortunately, the incumbent chief secretary, Aziz Uqaili, who was posted on the recommendation of former president Asif Ali Zardari has become a lame duck. He has totally surrendered to the government and keeps his office at the disposal of the Chief Minister Secretariat.

Kamran Asad, a junior officer in the Public Relation Department, was posted as the PRO and later as press secretary to chief minister, is currently holding the additional charge of the Director General Public Relation by bypassing two senior officers.

The available documents reveal that an inquiry is already pending in the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) against him for his alleged involvement in corruption and corrupt practices.

A document shows that the CMIT in its inquiry in 2010 had found Kamran Asad guilty of getting fake advertisements of government contracts published in dummy newspapers. The CMIT had recommended his removal from services.

The then chief minister, Nawab Aslam Raisani, had issued a show cause notice to him on February 6, 2010 seeking his last explanation before his dismissal from service.

Former chief secretary Nasir Mahmood Khoso had also written on his file that such corrupt officers should not be in service. But Kamran Asad managed to escape accountability and now serves as the press secretary.

Kamran Asad was also demoted from grade 19 to grade 17 on the order of Justice Muslim Hani, a Supreme Court judge in February 2017.  The SC had directed the provincial government to repatriate him to his own department.

However, Kamran Asad managed to get promoted to grade 18 and grade 19 and is now posted as DGPR.

Noor Khaithran, the senior most officer of the department, filed a constitutional petition in Balochistan High Court (BHC) after all the officers submitted a complaint in the office of the chief secretary in this regard but to no avail.

Musarrat Jabeen Durrani, an officer of grade 20, was placed under her subordinate Mohammad Hassanullah of grade 19.

Hassanullah was directly appointed in grade 17 back in 1995 for probation period of three years against the rules and regulation with the condition that he would appear in the Public Service Commission exams within three years. However, he never appeared in the exams.

Durrani later moved to the services tribunal which announced its judgment in August, 2021 in her favour and directed the government to appoint her as the DG social welfare by de-notifying the earlier order through which Hassanullah was given additional charge of the department.

In the light of court judgment, the services and general administration department moved the case to the chief minister through the chief secretary who have already approved the appointment of Durrani as the DG, but S&GAD is not issuing her posting orders with the connivance of some junior officers of Chief Minister Secretariat.

For the last one year, Durrani has been running from pillar to post to get her rightful position. Lal Jan Jaffar, who ascended to grade 19 from the position of a junior clerk by bypassing rules and regulations, was also posted as principal secretary.

Now a question arises as to how these junior officers can write the Annual Confidential Reports (ACRs) of their senior officers. Such ACRs are essential for promotion in government departments.