Malakand Division Orders Crackdown On Ghost Staff in Dir and Bajaur

LOWER DIR: Malakand Division Commissioner Iqbal Hussain Bacha has ordered an immediate, sweeping administrative crackdown against ghost employees and chronic staff absenteeism within the public health and education departments across Lower Dir and Bajaur districts. The high-level executive directive aims to restore institutional integrity, enforce strict attendance protocols, and eliminate structural loopholes that have historically impaired essential public service delivery in the region.

Promptly responding to the commissioner’s orders, Lower Dir District Education Officer Mushtaq Ahmad issued an official notification directed at all male and female school principals, deputy district education officers, and assistant sub-divisional education officers across the district. The order instructs administrative heads to immediately reverse all unauthorised staff detailing and temporary need-based transfers. Furthermore, the notification explicitly warned institutional heads that failure to verify physical attendance or enforce full staff compliance will result in strict disciplinary action under relevant service rules.

The regional crackdown follows an extensive coordination meeting convened by Commissioner Bacha, bringing together key stakeholders including deputy commissioners, additional deputy commissioners, district health officers, medical superintendents, and leadership from educational monitoring bodies across Malakand division. For local communities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the crackdown represents a vital initiative to tackle systemic corruption, ensuring that public resources allocated for primary healthcare and basic education actually translate into operational services on the ground rather than unearned salaries.

Moving forward, district administration officials and special monitoring squads have been authorized to conduct unscheduled field audits and biometric verification checks across schools and health facilities in Lower Dir and Bajaur. Educational and health sector monitoring authorities are required to submit comprehensive, updated staff compliance reports directly to the divisional commissioner’s office in the coming weeks, setting the stage for systemic administrative reforms across the province.