Female DDO accuses minister, MPA of harassing her

sing her. “They are victimizing me since I refused to obey their unlawful orders,” complained Zohra Jalal, the district officer (females),  while talking to this correspondent by phone from Chitral. She complained that on the directives of the minister and MPA she was posted in a far-flung valley of Chital as a punishment. The officer has recently sent applications to the chief justice of Peshawar High Court and speaker Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly requesting them to provide protection to her against the minister and the MPA. However, Minister  Saleem Khan rejected allegations of the female officer against him and the MPA. The MPA was not available for comments, however. “She is a very cunning woman and blackmails teachers,” said the minister and alleged that she was involved in illegal activities and facilitated her blue-eyed teachers to withdraw salaries without performing duties. Ms Zohra said departmental inquiry was conducted against her on the directives of the chief secretary but all allegations against her proved false. She said the MPA, who is from Pakistan Muslim League (Q), launched a malicious campaign against her when she refused to allow his relatives to get salaries without performing duties in the government-run schools. She also said the MPA also forced her to carry out postings and transfers of teachers and other employees in the education department at his will. “When I refused, he produced fake resolution carrying bogus signatures of the elders of the area demanding her transfer from the post of drawing and disbursement officer (DDO) Mastuj. She moved the court and filed a damage suit of Rs700,000 against the MPA for presenting the fake “resolution” and the court issued non-bailable warrants against the lawmaker on February 29 and on March 23, 2012. But he has yet to comply with the court order, she said in her application. The officer said she had also moved to the services tribunal against her transfer and the tribunal made decision in her favour. However the lawmaker and the minister were pressurizing the district education officer and dislocated her from the post of DO (Female) Chitral on February 23, 2012. She said her professional carrier was at stake because of the illegal tactics of the MPA and the minister.–Dawn]]>