In a unique case of flouting the chief minister’s orders, former health additional secretary (technical) Dr Mushtaq Ahmad Sulheria is continuing to perform official duties despite being suspended by Punjab CM Shahbaz Sharif over misconduct, Pakistan Today has learnt.
Sulheria was initially made an officer on special duty and then was suspended along with deputy secretary (medical education) Dr Shahid Amin and section officer Dr Mubashar Latif under section six of the Punjab Employees Efficiency, Discipline and Accountability Act (PEEDA), 2006. The CM ordered action against these officials over their inaction against fake private medical colleges.
Senior officials said all three officials had been suspended for a period of 90 days and could not perform official duties or use official vehicles. However, sources in the Punjab Health Department revealed that Sulheria was performing his official duties, attending departmental meetings with Punjab Health Secretary Jehanzaib Khan and using the official vehicle in violation of rules.
Talking to Pakistan Today, Regulations Secretary Muhammad Ilyas said that in principle, the authority which suspended any official had the authority to reinstate him or her and both the suspension and the reinstatement had to come in writing. “The chief minister is the appointing authority in grade 19 and above officers, but some administrative secretaries have delegated powers for the establishment of grade 19 officers as well. I do not know if some administrative secretary has got verbal or written provision in a special case, but the general principle is that an official suspended by the CM can be reinstated by him alone,” Ilyas added.
Another senior official said only an officer on special duty in grade 20 was allowed to use an official vehicle. “This provision is only for an OSD, but no such provision is allowed in case of a suspension,” the official concluded. Another senior health department official, seeking anonymity, said the technical wing of the department was very important and the department was overburdened in coping with the dengue. “Sulheria continues to perform official duties with the approval of the secretary, who needs him in technical matters especially in these days when everyone’s focus is on the Punjab Health Department,” the official said, adding, “The secretary should get him reinstated if he is inevitable for the department.”
Health Secretary Jehanzaib Khan however said Sulheria was not performing official duties. To a question, he said, “During official work when we need someone in a certain matter, we call that officer, as many things are institutional memory and a particular officer is called to sort out that particular issue.”
