Grade-18 officer gets 3 Grade-19 charges in Punjab

According to a departmental notification dated September 6, 2026, Muzaffar Hussain Abid, serving as Senior Budget & Accounts Officer and Deputy Director

LAHORE: A recent posting order issued by Punjab’s Specialized Healthcare & Medical Education Department has raised questions over the assignment of multiple senior financial responsibilities to a single Grade-18 officer.

According to a departmental notification dated September 6, 2026, Muzaffar Hussain Abid, serving as Senior Budget & Accounts Officer and Deputy Director Finance at Allied Hospital-II, Faisalabad, has been transferred on administrative grounds and posted as Deputy Director Finance (BS-18/Regular) at Sargodha Medical College.

The notification also assigns him additional charge of three Director Finance positions, all classified as BS-19. These include Director Finance at Maryam Nawaz Sharif Medical College, Mianwali, Director Finance at Sargodha Medical College and Director Finance at Dr Faisal Masood Teaching Hospital, Sargodha.

The additional responsibilities have been assigned for three months or until the arrival of regular incumbents, whichever occurs earlier.

The order has prompted discussion within departmental circles over whether assigning several senior financial positions to one officer is consistent with applicable administrative procedures and merit-based appointment principles. Questions have particularly been raised over the practical management of financial responsibilities spread across multiple institutions.

Some departmental sources have alleged that the order may have been issued without adequate consideration of established procedures. However, these allegations could not independently be verified.

The notification was issued by the Secretary of the Specialized Healthcare & Medical Education Department and circulated among the relevant vice chancellors, principals, chief executive officers, district accounts officers and other concerned authorities for implementation.

The department’s ICT Cell has stated that the notification is system-generated and does not require a manual signature.

Minute Mirror has contacted the Specialized Healthcare & Medical Education Department for its position on the matter, particularly regarding the rules governing additional charges and the simultaneous assignment of multiple BS-19 responsibilities to a BS-18 officer. Any response received from the department will be incorporated into the report.

The development comes as the Punjab government continues to emphasize merit, transparency and institutional accountability in appointments and administrative decisions across public-sector departments.