Islamabad: Shortage of federal Government officials willing to serve in Balochistan may become more acute in the aftermath of the killing of Baloch leader Akbar Khan Bugti and the volatile situation it has created in the province.
The new developments in the aftermath of the killing of Akbar Bugti will further discourage federal police and the District Management Group (DMG) officers agreeing to serve in the province, The News International reported.
Forced transfers of officials have not worked. Eighteen police officials posted to the province last month managed to stay on at their old postings using their ‘influence’.
The newspaper had some weeks ago carried an expose on the working of the federal Government wherein officials posted to Balochistan had sought to pull strings to get the postings cancelled by using political channels.
After a minister made support to the Government conditional on the cancellation of the posting order of a kin, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz discussed the matter at the cabinet meeting and issued clear instructions that such pressures and requests would not be entertained.
The federal Government has enhanced allowances and perks of officers in the last one year, but continues to face serious shortage as officials either stay on in their earlier postings, report sick or go on leave.
A Government source told the newspaper that the authorities now even apprehend that some federal officers already posted there might now try to get themselves transferred outside the province.
Balochistan Government sources, when contacted, also foresaw some management problems that might crop up due to the post-Bugti violence targeting non-Baloch, non-Pakhtoon settlers, particularly Punjabis, in different parts of the province.
Even though the provincial authorities denied that rioters attacked houses of settlers in Quetta, it accepted that they damaged few businesses and shops. The situation, however, is said to be normal since Thursday.
In view of possible threats to officers from outside the province, particularly those from Punjab, the authorities say this situation could be tackled by posting them to safer districts of Balochistan and in the provincial headquarters.
The Establishment Division (ED), which was ‘already helpless’ while implementing its past transfer orders, is unsure about the future unless the top leadership personally intervenes and ensure that the writ of the Government is followed by its officers.
So far, transfer orders of police and DMG officers to the troubled Balochistan province has resulted in non-compliance by the Government officers.
Barring few exceptions, the officers either get their transfer orders cancelled or remain defiant unwilling to take up new postings for months.
Comments
0 comment