Concerns Raised Over Ad Hoc Appointments in AJK: Call for Merit-Based Reforms

In a crowded conference, Sardar Tanveer Qayyum, Asim Latif, Mohammad Luqman Chauhan, Aamir Ishaq Zafar, and Raja Asim bin Salem voiced their concerns regarding the Ad Hoc Act, alleging that it facilitates the appointment of ineligible ministers, advisors, and MLAs, thereby depriving highly educated youth and their deserving relatives of their rightful opportunities. They emphasized that these appointments are made without the involvement of the Public Service Commission (PSC) and lack any merit-based selection process.

The speakers highlighted the issue of individuals failing PSC and NTS exams being elevated to higher positions across various institutions, including educational ones, which, they argued, severely jeopardizes the future of upcoming generations.

Criticizing the practice of granting extensions every six months and subsequently passing bills in the Azad Kashmir Assembly to make these appointments permanent, the speakers condemned this as a violation of basic human rights rather than a humanitarian act.

They stressed that the fundamental role of the state is to ensure equal rights for all citizens and not to favor certain individuals for government positions. They asserted that it has become a tradition to appoint members of political families to high-ranking positions under the Ad Hoc Act, thereby denying opportunities to highly educated individuals.

Promising to raise their voices against this longstanding flawed system at every available platform, the speakers demanded the immediate withdrawal of the AJK Ad Hoc Act. They urged for the functional reinstatement of the Public Service Commission and insisted that all government appointments should be based strictly on merit, similar to the Federal Public Service.

This call for reform underscores the pressing need to rectify the prevailing system and ensure that appointments to government positions are conducted in a fair, transparent, and merit-based manner.

By Azadi Times Correspondent