Daily Times

LAHORE: Disregarding the given merit, a corrupt and a junior Excise & Taxation Officer (ETO) having a basic pay scale (BS) 17 in Excise, Taxation & Narcotics Control Department (ET&NC) has been directly promoted to the post of Director BS 19 in the same department, on “On Pay Scale” (OPS) basis in Rawalpindi, reliable sources informed Daily Times.

The notification of this undue promotion was issued by the Secretary of ET&NC Department, Lahore, Punjab and sources claimed that the reason for promoting a junior to director was a result of shared corruption and cordial relations between the secretary and officer.

According to the notification issued by ET&NC Punjab Secretary Ahmed Bilal on May 11, 2018, received by Daily Times, ETO Masood Bashir Warraich of Motor Registration Authority, Rawalpindi was transferred with immediate effect and posted as Excise & Taxation director, Rawalpindi.

An officer from ET&NC department, seeking anonymity said, “The notification appeared to be a usual official transfer and posting order but actually it is the promotion of the officer in a subtle way so that it goes unnoticeable. There are many other senior ETOs who are awaiting promotion and they have been disregarded while issuing this notification by the secretary. As per the Punjab E&T department’s Service Rules 1980, the ETO is a post with grade BS 17 and initially one can be promoted as senior ETO in grade BS 18 on seniority-cum-fitness basis from amongst the ETOs of BS17. After the promotion in BS 18 one can only be promoted as director on seniority-cum-fitness basis from amongst the senior ETOs BS18 having 12 years of service in BS17 and above of which at least four years of service should be in BS 18.”

According to the sources, Masood Bashir Warraich was an officer who was promoted as ETO on March 20, 2018 and due to his influential relations with the department’s secretary within two months he got the position of a director in Rawalpindi.

“Masood Bashir Warraich had a background of proven corruption and was in cordial links with the ET&NC secretary and those terms of mutual corruption have been the prime reason for the unjustified promotion. Prior to these orders, Warraich was posted as director entertainment Punjab of ET&NC Punjab,” the officer remarked.

The departmental officials informed Daily Times, that the groundless notification has demoralised other deserving officers of the same department and there was a wave of sheer distress and anomaly among them and such promotions would take away the trust of government officers on merit based promotions.

The officer was of the view that a corrupt officer on a public dealing post never goes in the greater interest of the department and because of few the other officers are also defamed. The officer of ET&NC was of the opinion that the concerned authorities should have taken action on this promotion but so far everyone was silent over the situation.

The Minister for Excise, Taxation & Narcotics Department Punjab, Mian Mujtaba Shujaur Rahman confirmed the matter along with the corruption and disentitlement of Warraich.

“We have a merit for promotions and postings, and according to it, the senior most ETO is to be promoted as director. Previously, Warraich was appointed as director entertainment Punjab and I had reverted back the orders and posted him elsewhere. The present orders have been issued by the secretary thinking that the government is in its last days and he could make his own decisions which are in his own interest. I think being a government servant national interest should be our priority rather than favouritism. Warraich was Officer on Special Duty for almost two and a half years owing to his proven corruption, but later the secretary using his bureaucratic tactics got his duties resumed. A list of corrupt officers was also prepared in 2012-13 which included the name of Warraich and we tried not to post him on a position that deals directly with the public. Before this particular notification all such matters or posting and promotion were carried out with my consent. Posting Warraich as a director in a city like Rawalpindi is again a sign of igniting corruption which we wish to curb. Due to numerous complaints and evidences of corruption against Warraich, if I had the due authority I would have dismissed him from the service. All such officers have influential support and I will surely talk to the secretary to revise the orders and post a deserving officer on this post,” minister said.

Published in Daily Times, May 21^ST 2018.