KP government defying PHC orders to reinstate provincial info, PR departments

Islamabad
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government is defying the Peshawar High Court (PHC) orders of complete reinstatement of the provincial information and public relations department as its finance department has turned down two summaries seeking the revival of the sanctioned posts that existed before winding up orders. Not only that the winding up orders have since been withdrawn the government has already revived the posts of press secretary to governor, chief minister, director of information but the rest positions including that of regional directorates and their officials have not been reinstated.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Information and Public Relations Department which was abruptly ordered to be winded up by an administrative order in July, 2014 and later restored by a PHC order from March 1 this year is still reeling under the bureaucratic coercion.
Secretary Information KP Abid Majeed confirmed to the News that the government had withdrawn the winding up orders of the department in accordance with the PHC directive issued on a writ petition of one of the information officers. He said that four notifications regarding the revival of the department had been issued by the government in last three months but the posts of officers and staff still waiting finance department's sanction for which minister information has moved two summaries to the government but none has been approved so far. He said, "As long as various posts of information officers including those placed in regional offices they cannot be asked to give coverage or project the government achievement."
Despite that the government withdrew its orders the bureaucracy does not seem ready to restore the officials/offices to their original positions as a result the department is facing a situation of redundancy with no funds for salaries, exigency expenses, medical facility, TA, DA and even payment of utility bills as the annual budget approved was withdrawn before June has not been restored so far. Ever since the restoration of media offices attached to chief minister and governor KP have been put in place selecting choice officers now while CM and governor were getting due coverage but the same is not being done with the ministers in government activities.
Minister for information was provided a detailed briefing on Thursday by provincial information secretary on the situation that is arising out of government's inactivity in regularising and reorganising the department. Ironically the chief minister Pervaiz Khattak has also given no attention towards a vital department that is responsible for promoting and projecting his government's activities.
In absence of approved provincial budget the accounts office has forewarned that the salaries/allowances of the department will be stopped for next month and onwards if the approved budget is not provided in time.
Main office in Peshawar has partially been restored but most of its accessories and equipment is rotting in the open as it consists of only 6 rooms in the basement which spread over 22 rooms and six halls before being wound up. Currently, the same office is stuffed in six rooms of a basement which gets inundated whenever there is shower forcing officials to leave it. No vehicle has been returned at main office nor the regional offices causing difficulties in performance of the duties by information officers.
Before winding up order main office had several staff cars and vans to facilitate various officials to visit and attend official functions whereas one vehicle each held by the regional offices none of which has been returned. The vehicles withdrawn from the information department were collected in the provincial pool but bureaucracy is not ready to return them back.
The department ordered to be dispensed reportedly under PTI chairman Imran Khan's directive on the ground that it was not working to promote government's progressive policies, was never heard never reorganised and never given a chance to explain its position before the action.