PESHAWAR: Serious irregularities and violations of rules have been alleged in the appointment of Project Director for the Rs40 billion solar project in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
According to a notification issued on March 12, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Energy Development Organization (PEDO) appointed a Grade-17 officer as Project Director. The appointment of a BS-17 officer to a post designated for a BS-19 officer has raised several questions, especially as the PC-I of the projects has not yet been approved.
Sources claim that the position of Project Director is meant for a BS-19 officer, whereas Engineer Pir Aimal’s basic pay scale is BS-17. Pir Aimal was posted to PEDO on deputation from the Planning and Development Department and was previously serving at the Supreme Court of Pakistan. His direct deputation from the Supreme Court to PEDO is also being described by some as a violation of rules.
Interestingly, the PC-I of any of the projects has not yet been approved yet a Project Director has already been appointed, even though such appointments are normally made after a formal advertisement and interview process.
Sources say the appointment is a clear violation of Para 3 “Procedure to Fill the Post,” Sub Para (xxii) of Chapter 4 of the Project Implementation Policy (PIP) 2022, which states: “Pay Scale of the Project Director shall be BS-19 or above for projects costing Rs3 billion or more. For other projects, the Project Director shall not be less than BS-18 in any case.”
Secondly, being a civil servant, Pir Aimal was already on deputation to the Supreme Court of Pakistan, whereas there should be a gap of four years between two deputations, as stated under PIP 2022, Chapter 4, Para 4, “Deputation of Civil Servants to Project Posts,” Sub Clause (viii): “A civil servant will not be considered for deputation to a project post unless he or she has successfully completed the initial as well as extended period of probation. He or she will also not be considered for deputation unless a period of at least four years has elapsed after his or her return from the last deputation to a project.”
Chief Minister Sohail Afridi said, “As the Chief Executive, I know what is right and what is wrong. If something is illegal, it will not be tolerated. If any work is being done according to the rules, such blackmailing will create problems for the accusers themselves, not for the government.”
Talking to The News, he added that anyone competent can be appointed at any level in accordance with the rules and regulations. He said that if any illegal appointment has been made, action will be taken. Afridi emphasized that departmental matters are handled strictly according to the rules and that all appointments are made within the legal framework.
According to the official notification issued by the Energy and Power Department on March 5, 2026, Engineer Pir Aimal was appointed Project Director in the public interest. He has been assigned oversight of four major solar projects, including solarisation of homes with 100 percent and 50 percent subsidies, solarisation in merged districts, and solar energy projects for government buildings.
PEDO Chief Executive Officer Anwar-ul-Haq told this correspondent that the position of Project Director requires an engineering degree and 12 years of experience. He stated that the appointment has been made in accordance with the rules and regulations.
Sources further said that the government recently rejected a panel of three Grade-18 officers for a Grade-20 project and decided that a panel of Grade 19 officers should be submitted instead.
