Show cause notices published in three newspapers; officials directed to recover salaries and register FIRs against suspected impostors and ghost employees
KOHAT, October 20, 2026 : The District Education Department (Female) in Dera Ismail Khan has declared the appointment orders of 35 Primary School Teachers (PSTs) null and void over alleged recruitment fraud, suspected forged documents and the unauthorized withdrawal of government salaries, according to an official notification.
The notification issued by District Education Officer (Female) Syeda Anjum, said the action followed departmental inquiries and a review of service records, recruitment documents, payroll data and attendance records. The department alleged that the individuals had drawn salaries from the public exchequer despite their appointments and places of duty remaining unverified.
According to the notification, the department could not establish that the individuals had performed duties at their designated places of posting or served at any other government school or office within the jurisdiction of the DEO (Female). In several cases, service books, appointment orders and other relevant records were reportedly unavailable. The department also said that the recorded addresses of some individuals, or those of their fathers or husbands, could not be verified.
The notification alleged that the disputed appointments involved forged or fabricated appointment orders used to secure government employment and draw salaries without fulfilling the prescribed recruitment requirements.
The department maintained that the appointments had been made without newspaper advertisements for the vacancies, participation in the prescribed competitive recruitment process or recommendations from the Departmental Selection Committee (DSC).
It cited Rule 10(2) of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Civil Servants (Appointment, Promotion and Transfer) Rules, 1989, which provides for initial recruitment to posts outside the relevant commission’s purview on the recommendation of the DSC following advertisement of vacancies.
The notification further stated that the individuals concerned had either failed to appear in or had not achieved qualifying merit positions in the Educational Testing and Evaluation Agency (ETEA) test conducted on April 23 and 24, 2022, for recruitment against union council-based PST vacancies in BPS-12 in Dera Ismail Khan.
Their names were also reportedly absent from the DSC’s recommendations documented in the minutes of its meeting held on September 15, 2022.
Before taking action, the department said it had provided the individuals an opportunity to explain their positions. Show cause notices were published in Urdu- and English-language newspapers, directing the concerned individuals to approach their respective Drawing and Disbursing Officers (DDOs) or Sub-Divisional Education Officers (SDEOs) within seven days.
They were asked to submit written replies supported by authentic documentary evidence, including original appointment orders, recruitment and selection records, joining reports, valid posting orders and proof of the schools or offices where they had performed their duties.
The notification said some individuals contacted the department but failed to produce the required documents to establish the legality of their appointments and salary payments.
Following the proceedings, the DEO (Female), acting as the competent authority, disowned the disputed appointment orders and declared them null and void ab initio, a legal term meaning invalid from the outset.
The notification further stated that the purported services and contracts were disowned from their inception and directed the individuals concerned to refund salaries allegedly drawn through the disputed appointments.
The DEO (Female) also directed subordinate SDEOs (Female) to register First Information Reports (FIRs) against the alleged impostors and ghost employees under Sections 416, 417, 419 and 420 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) which relate to cheating, personation and fraud.
A copy of the notification was also forwarded to the Assistant Director of the Anti-Corruption Establishment in Dera Ismail Khan for further action, the department said.
The department maintained that the action was based on evidence collected during the verification process and was aimed at addressing alleged irregularities in recruitment and preventing the unauthorized use of public funds.
