PESHAWAR
The Provincial Management Service (PMS) Officers Association, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, has rejected the posting of a non-cadre officer as Special Secretary Agriculture and demanded withdrawal of the notification within three days.
In a statement issued here on Tuesday, the PMS Association has strongly objected to the posting of a BS-20 officer of the Provincial Planning Service (PPS), currently serving as Chief Planning Officer in the Elementary and Secondary Education Department, as Special Secretary Agriculture on a deputation basis.
The association has said that the post of Special Secretary in a secretariat department was a scheduled post reserved for officers of the PMS and Pakistan Administrative Service (PAS). It termed the appointment a violation of service rules and an encroachment on the rights of the relevant cadres.
It also disputed the use of the term “deputation” in the notification, saying the arrangement could not be used to transfer an officer from one department of the provincial government to a cadre post in another department.
The association maintained that such appointments undermined the established service structure, affected officers’ morale and could set a precedent for further encroachments on scheduled posts.
It called upon the chief secretary to withdraw the notification and fill the post with an eligible PMS or PAS officer within three days.
The association warned that failure to withdraw the order would prompt it to launch a protest at the highest level, including taking up the matter with the governor, and pursue all available legal remedies.
