By Zahiruddin
CHITRAL; Hundreds of the candidates from Chitral are likely losing their chances of appearing in the written tests in Nowshera on January 19 for various low ranking jobs in Pakistan Post based in Chitral as the roll numbers are yet to reach the GPO for further dispatching to the addressees across the district.
A number of prospective candidates applying for the posts of mail runner, mail peon and stamp vendor each of pay scale BPS-2, talking to Chitral Times lamented that more than half of the candidates will miss the examination to be held in Nowshera and a candidate from Chitral will have to spend about Rs. 6000 for travelling and lodging spanning over three days.
Afzal Baig of Lot Koh of Lot Koh said that even the candidates affording the travel expenses but living in the far flung areas of the district will miss it is not possible to convey roll numbers to them when there is only one day in the commencement of examination.
He said that a candidate will have to leave Chitral for Nowshera on 18th January and thus one has to get his roll number slip by tomorrow while ground reality is that it takes about a week’s time for a letter from city GPO to Baroghil, Yarkhoon, Rech, Khot, Oveer, Terich and Madak Lusht.
He regretted that even those residing in Chitral city have not received their roll number slips because the consignment containing the slips will reach here from Upper Dir and it will take another two days in sorting of the mail in Chitral GPO and onward delivery.
Mr. Baig said that only those candidates have received their roll numbers who had their mailing addresses from Peshawar and other down district places near it and it was sheer injustice with those candidates living in Chitral.
He said that the examination should be held in Chitral as it did in 2010 for recruitment of similar posts as it will ensure hundred percent participation of the candidates in the competition as no one will left from examination on financial grounds because an additional burden of Rs. 6000 or more on a poor family is not affordable.
An official in Chitral GPO confirmed that the shipment of roll number slips of the examination has not reached there from Upper Dir and that a letter takes about a week for its delivery in the far flung villages of Baroghil and Yarkhoon.
Another official of Pakistan Post, requesting anonymity, said that as per rules of recruitment in the organization, there should be at least fifteen days’ time interval between the issuance of roll numbers and commencement of examination while in the present case, the roll numbers were issued on January 13.
Efforts to talk to postmaster general of Pakistan Post Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Director General in Islamabad failed as it was told that all the senior officers had gone to Lahore to attend a two-day meeting with Auditor General of Pakistan while their mobile phone numbers did not respond as well.
