KP ‘good governance’ questioned over BS-18 officer gets BS-20 charge

ISLAMABAD: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government’s latest bureaucratic appointment has raised questions over merit, seniority and administrative planning after a BS-18 officer was given additional charge of a BS-20 post in the Population Welfare Department just eight days after being posted there.

Documents obtained by Minute Mirror from the HRM Department, Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, show that Zahid Usman Kaka Khel, a PMS BS-18 officer, was first appointed as Additional Secretary of the Population Welfare Department on August 20.

Eight days later, on August 28, the government assigned him the additional charge of Director General, Population Welfare, for three months.

The DG position is a BS-20 post, making the decision notable because the officer holding the additional charge is two grades below the position.

Two Notifications, Eight Days Apart

According to Notification No. SO(S-I)/HRM&AD/6-312/2026, issued on August 20, Kaka Khel, who had been awaiting posting in the HRM Department, was transferred with immediate effect and posted as Additional Secretary, Population Welfare Department under Section 10 of the Civil Servants Act, 1973.

The second notification, issued under the same reference number on August 28, authorised the Additional Secretary to hold the additional charge of the Director General, Population Welfare for a period of three months.

Both notifications were issued by the Chief Secretary, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and signed by Sabir Amin, Section Officer (S-I).

Copies were also forwarded to senior government officials, including the Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister, Principal Secretary to the Governor and administrative secretaries.

Questions Over Administrative Choice

The appointment has prompted debate among observers over how key government positions are being managed, particularly in a department dealing with population planning and related social-sector programmes.

The central question is not only why a BS-18 officer has been entrusted with a BS-20 position, but also why the additional charge was assigned within just eight days of his appointment to the department.

The move could fuel questions about whether suitably senior officers were available for the post or whether the government opted for an interim arrangement to keep the department functioning.

The three-month arrangement means Kaka Khel will oversee the DG’s responsibilities while continuing to serve in his existing capacity as Additional Secretary.

For critics, the episode has become an example of what they describe as ad-hoc administrative governance, while the government’s decision is likely to face closer scrutiny over established procedures, seniority and suitability for senior posts.

With copies of both notifications now available, the unusual eight-day timeline has placed the KP government’s bureaucratic decision-making under the spotlight.