GHAZNI (Pajhwok): Eight senior officials of the municipality of southern Ghazni province, who were fired from their job earlier this month, demand justice from the government.
The ousted officials claim they were fired on 21st of January 2023 without any obvious reason.
These officials are Aminullah Hamza Khel, director of the first district, Jamal Qayoum Zoy, director of the second district, Muawin Zahir, director of the third district, Alipoor, director of the fourth district, Engineer Sher Ahmad Seddiqi, head of engineering department, Hizbullah, head of contracts department, Haji Basir, head of revenue department and HamidullahSarwari, executive director.
The fired officials said they all held bachelor’s degrees and had worked in the municipality for seven to 31 years in their respective fields.
The ousted officials said they should be dealt with legally if they had committed any illegal act or corruption and there was evidence of their wrongdoing, but they should not be sacked unceremoniously.
Engineer Sher Ahmad, representing the ousted officials, told Pajhwok Afghan News they were fired from their jobs on 21st of January by members of the monitoring commission.
The commission was formed two months ago on the orders of the supreme leader of the Islamic Emirate and is headed by the deputy governor.
Police and intelligence department officials are members of the commission which is tasked with overseeing all civil and military offices.
Sher Ahmad said there was no law under which serving government officials could be fired without any reason and this act was against the traditional and implemented laws.
“If we had committed any illegal act or misused our authority, we should have been introduced to the prosecutor’s office and the court should have decided our fate after investigation”, Sher Ahmad said.
He said the way they were fired had concerned officials of other departments that they could also be fired without any reason by the incumbent rulers.
Sohail Amiri, civil society activist and law expert, said there was no law in the world under which government officials could be fired collectively from their positions.
He told Pajhwok Afghan News that according to the labor law, if an official commits an illegal act or violates the rules, he is first advised, then warned, then his salary is cut in the third step, but if he still does not correct himself, he could be transferred to another place or his job suspended.
He said the eight officials were ousted collectively without any reason from their jobs, which was contrary to the laws and regulations.
Some residents of Ghazni province said they were saddened by the development, which they called regrettable.
Ahmad Shah, a shopkeeper, told Pajhwok Afghan News if these officials had committed any illegal act, they should be treated in accordance with the laws instead of being fired from their positions.
“These officials have a lengthy experience, they are professional, if they are replaced with non-professional people, they can create problems and cannot serve the people as necessary.”
Pajhwok tried for several days to have the comments of the governor’s house and the monitoring commission in this regard, but failed.
But Information and Culture director Mualvi Afghan Mansoor justified the firing of the municipality officials to Pajhwok by saying: “Change in governance is a fundamental norm, so officials must accept it”.
Mansoor said the municipality officials had not been sacked, but their jobs suspended by the monitoring commission and they had not been replaced by new officials.
But Mansoor did not comment about the reason why these officials were suspended.
aw/ma
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