Inquiry Exposes 566 Illegal Posts In KP Caretaker Government, Costing Rs480 Million Annually

(MENAFN- Tribal News Network) During the tenure of the caretaker government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, illegal activities involving the creation of 566 unauthorized posts ranging from grade 3 to grade 19 and the tampering of designations and responsibilities for 253 positions have come to light. These irregularities have inflicted an annual loss of PKR 480 million on the public exchequer. Most of these unlawful recruitments occurred in the health department, with similar violations identified across 19 other departments, including Police and irrigation.

A five-member inquiry committee, formed by the provincial finance department to probe complaints about the illegal recruitment of eight junior clerks, uncovered these malpractices. The investigation spanned the fiscal years 2022-23, 2023-24, and the initial two months of the current fiscal year. It revealed that 11,197 positions were created during this period, with 566 being fraudulent. Furthermore, 13,152 posts were altered in terms of designations and responsibilities, with 253 of these modifications deemed illegal.

The report highlighted that these activities occurred despite a recruitment ban during the caretaker government's tenure. To bypass scrutiny, appointment letters were backdated, and evidence of these unlawful practices was presented in the findings. The Accountant General's office and related account officers were implicated in processing the salaries of these illegal recruits, further exacerbating financial losses.

Also Read: Convoy to Parachinar Set to Depart Tomorrow Amid Plans for Disarming Kurram

The health department was the most affected, with 181 unauthorized positions created. Other implicated departments include irrigation (126 posts), police (59 posts), public health engineering (42 posts), animal husbandry (47 posts), elementary and secondary education (29 posts), energy and power (20 posts), local government and information (14 each), administration (12 posts), agriculture (8 posts), finance (7 posts), higher education and planning and development (3 posts each), and sports and tourism (1 post). The elementary and secondary education department saw the most modifications in posts, with 83 changes, followed by police (70 changes) and health (38 changes). These alterations spanned multiple grades, particularly grades 16, 3, and 4.

The report also disclosed fraudulent practices such as reassigning existing employees' IDs to illegal recruits while issuing new IDs to lawful employees to obfuscate the activities. These recruits were promptly transferred to other departments to evade detection. The report cited a lack of systematic monitoring in post-creation and recommended introducing annual reviews, monthly reports, and stricter oversight measures. It also called for disciplinary actions against involved personnel, the immediate termination of illegal positions, and separate inquiries in implicated departments.

The provincial government has received the report and is under pressure to address these violations, ensuring accountability and preventing further misuse of public funds.

MENAFN03012025000189011041ID1109051931