Daily Times

PESHAWAR: The differences between officers of the Pakistan Administrative Service and the Provincial Management Service over appointment at key lucrative government posts intensified, as PMS officers continued their strike with a second sit-in at the premises of the Civil Secretariate, on Thursday.

The Provincial Civil Service Officers’ Association, in a statement accused the Provincial Assembly of delaying justice to the provincial service by not exercising its powers under Article 240(b) of the constitution, saying the case of PMS Vs PAS was pending for the last one year. The protesting bodies also demanded repatriation of 90 officers from various federal and provincial departments serving on deputation on scheduled positions of the provincial service. They said that their deputation was affecting postings and promotions of the PSM officers.

Terming the posting of PAS Officers (BS-17 to BS-22) in the province as negation of the autonomy granted under the 18th constitutional amendment, it adds “Posting of PAS officers to this province is unconstitutional, illegal, an injustice to PMS Officers and the root cause of misgovernance”. The protesting officers threatened to continue their pen-down strike till resolution of the issues and fulfilment of their demands to remove the Incumbent Chief Secretary Amjad Ali Khan, resolution of the PMS vs PAS case and end to discrimination and victimisation of the PMS Officers. Earlier opposition leaders from the PTI-ally Jamaat-e-Islami supporting the demands of the PMS officers, participated in the sit-in on Wednesday staged by 700 senior and junior PMS officers who have observed a complete pen-down strike across KP and FATA. ANP Provincial General Secretary Sardar Hussain Babak, PML-N parliamentary leader Sardar Aurangzeb Nalotha, PPP lawmaker Nighat Orakzai and JUI-F spokesperson Abdul Jalil Jan, as well as finance minister Muzafar Said and other PTI leaders assured the protesting officers of raising their voices for their demands.