Two AJK secretaries made OSD

secretary electricity Fayyaz Abbasi survives attempt 

The Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) government on Friday transferred four secretaries, making two of them  'officers on special duty' (OSD) for unspecified reasons. 

According to a notification, issued by the Services and General Administration Department, secretary law, justice and parliamentary affairs Idrees Abbasi and secretary communication and works (C&W) Mohammad Ilyas Abbasi were “posted and transferred" against the newly created BS-20 posts of OSDs.

Secretary Kashmir Liberation Cell Zahid Khan Abbasi was transferred as secretary C&W and secretary Local Government and Rural Development (LG&RD) was posted as secretary law, justice and parliamentary affairs.

However, Mr Qureshi will continue to hold the additional charge of secretary LG&RD until further orders.

A source in ruling PPP said the decision to remove these officers was taken at Kashmir House a few days ago. However, he said he was not aware of the reason behind it, even though the C&W secretary is known for his "qualities" to keep his bosses "content" with him.

Civil secretariat was abuzz with rumours that the government also wanted to remove secretary electricity Fayyaz Ali Abbasi, a BS-21 officer, allegedly under the pressure of former Legislative Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Anwaar ul Haq, who heads the so-called ‘good governance committee’ of the ruling PPP.

Mr Haq was said to be angry with Mr Fayyaz Abbasi, alleging that he had unlawfully given electricity poles to Chaudhry Tariq Farooq, his electoral rival and the sitting PML-N legislator from Bhimber city.

 However, sources said, the move to transfer Mr Abbasi was shelved by the government, reportedly after sensing the mood of chief secretary Sikandar Sultan Raja. 

Mr Farooq told this scribe that the electricity department had allocated 15 electricity poles for his constituency on his recommendation as the MLA concerned. 

The poles could not be installed for want of allied equipment and were lying in a factory, but the administration raided the residences of his workers to under the pressure of Mr Haq to "recover poles."

Mr Farooq said poles were allocated to all legislators on the same pattern, but he was targeted due to his affiliation with the opposition.

In a related move, the government transferred SP Bhimber Chaudhry Munir Hussain, allegedly after his refusal to frame some PML-N activists for “unlawful possession of electricity poles.” 

 He was posted in the prime minister’s secretariat against the post of chief security officer which had fallen vacant recently after the recent transfer of Mirza Zahid as additional SP Mirpur.

DSP Bhimber Nadeem Arif was tasked to look after the affairs of SP Bhimber till further orders.

Meanwhile, SP Traffic Yasin Baig was also transferred and posted as SP Haveli on current charge basis, a post that had fallen vacant after the retirement of Sardar Shadab Khan.

Tariq Naqash