PESHAWAR: Health diploma holders of Mohmand Agency have threatened to stage a protest sit-in outside the Governor House if Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Iqbal Zafar Jhagra did not order probe into the alleged illegal appointments in the health department of the tribal region.

Speaking at a news conference at the Peshawar Press Club on Tuesday, a group of unemployed diploma holders led by Mubarak Shah said that at least 35 people had been recruited on different posts in health department in violation of the rules and regulations.

On the occasion, Mr Shah blamed officials of the local health department for appointinguntrained people on the posts of health technicians, and asked the government to fill the posts on merit.

He claimed that about 65 per cent of health workers in Mohmand Agency did not have required qualification as most of them were Afghan nationals who had acquired Pakistani computerised national identity cards and other relevant documents.

Most of the employees, he said, were recruited in BPS 12 without floating any advertisement in newspapers and taking test and interview for the purpose. In some cases, he said inquires were also conducted which proved that the employees were Afghans who possessed fake documents but no action was taken against them as they bribed the relevant officials.Mubarak Shah said that the employees rarely attended duties as they used to share their salaries with relevant administrative staff to avoid duties.

The Fata secretariat, he said should hold fresh inquiry into the matter and award punishment to those involved in illegal appointments and issuance of CNICs and other documents to Afghan nationals.

About the health facilities in the Mohmand tribal region, he said the people were in extreme need of healthcare facilities but the Fata secretariat was least bothered to ensure presence of doctors and paramedics at local health centres.

The diploma holders gave a three-day deadline for acceptance of their demands, otherwise, they would start protest demonstrations.