Political pressure is mounting on Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti after a provincial minister alleged that Forest Department posts were being sold for between Rs1 million and Rs2 million, prompting the Balochistan Assembly to suspend recruitment and order an investigation.
Provincial Minister Noor Muhammad Dummar made the allegation on the floor of the Assembly, claiming that he possessed evidence concerning the alleged sale of posts, particularly in two districts. He demanded that the disputed vacancies be cancelled and the recruitment process investigated.
Responding to Dummar, Bugti rejected any suggestion that his government would tolerate the sale of public-sector jobs and challenged the minister to present his evidence. He said that if the allegations were proved, those responsible, including the relevant minister and departmental secretary, “would not remain in office”.
Bugti also asked the Speaker to constitute an empowered committee under Opposition Leader Mir Younus Aziz Zehri, saying it should be authorised to summon anyone, including the Chief Minister himself, if required.
The Assembly subsequently ordered the immediate suspension of Forest Department appointments and formed the committee under Zehri’s chairmanship. Dummar was also appointed as a member, while the remaining members are to be notified later.
The committee has been tasked with examining Dummar’s evidence and determining whether recruitment rules and procedures were violated. Provincial Minister Haji Ali Madad Jattak also called for recruitment processes in other government departments to be reviewed.
The allegation, which came from within the provincial government, has placed renewed scrutiny on Bugti’s repeated pledges that government jobs would not be sold during his tenure and that appointments would be made according to merit and district-based quotas.
In August, Bugti directed the Chief Minister’s Inspection Team to investigate complaints concerning the appointment of non-local candidates to Grade-IV posts in the Fisheries and Forest departments in Gwadar. He also instructed officials to ensure that recruitment complied with merit and district quotas.
Concerns over alleged demands for payment are not limited to the current Forest Department case. Local sources have told The Balochistan Post that applicants and residents in parts of Balochistan have been asked to pay money in exchange for government employment, the processing of official documents and other routine administrative services.
Students have raised similar allegations concerning the Balochistan Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education. According to complaints shared with The Balochistan Post, students have allegedly been asked to make substantial payments to correct administrative errors in their records, including misspelt names and incorrect dates of birth. Some complainants said they were asked to pay between Rs200,000 and Rs300,000 even for relatively minor corrections.