PESHAWAR- Over 200 Provincial Management Service PMS officers gathered in the Lawn of Civil Secretariat, expressing their symbolic protest against the sluggish progress on crucial issues faced by the officers in the province. The protest, announced by the PMS Association of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa PMSA-KP on November 21, 2023, addressed several pressing concerns:
I. *Eighteenth Amendment Implementation:* Urgent calls were made to implement the Eighteenth Amendment of the constitution in both letter and spirit.
II. *Repatriation of Deputationists:* The demand for the repatriation of officers on deputation was emphasized for effective administrative functioning.
III. *Nomenclature Change:* PMS officers discussed the necessity of changing nomenclatures within their cadre.
IV. *Merit in Postings and Transfers:* Ensuring merit-based decisions in postings and transfers was underscored for enhanced service delivery.
V. *Financial Mismanagement Inquiry:* A high-level inquiry into the Finance Department’s mismanagement, leading to a severe financial crisis in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, was demanded.
The Joint Secretary of the PMS Association highlighted the constitutional assurance of provincial autonomy, stating that the posting of federal officers on schedule posts contradicts the constitution. He stressed the right of PMS officers to be appointed to the Civil Secretariat office, asserting their legitimacy as sons of the soil. The president of the PMS Association conveyed the gathering’s purpose as a means to express the growing unrest and resentment among PMS officers. In a consensus decision, it was resolved that all PMS officers posted in the secretariat would proceed on en masse leaves lasting four months from the following week, unless genuine concerns of the cadre were addressed promptly.