Illegal Transfers Racket in Education Department Exposed: Balochistan High Court Takes Notice of Influential Employees’ Transfer to Quetta; Orders Cancellation of All Illegal Transfers and Return to Original Place of Posting
Quetta (Daily Qudrat Quetta): October 4 — The Balochistan High Court, taking strict notice of the matter of transferring teachers and non-teaching staff to Quetta after their initial appointments were made on a district and union council basis, has directed the Education Department to withdraw all such transfer orders and restore the concerned employees to their original place of posting. The court has ordered that, apart from the orders approved by the court in individual cases, all other relevant transfers be reviewed and implementation of the judicial order be ensured in letter and spirit. A two-member bench comprising Chief Justice of the Balochistan High Court Justice Muhammad Kamran Khan Mulakhail and Justice Muhammad Najamuddin Mengal issued these orders while hearing a constitutional petition filed against the Director (Schools), Education Department.
The petitioner, Khair Muhammad Shaheen, took the position that in the Education Department, appointments of teaching and non-teaching staff from BPS-01 to BPS-15 are made on a union council basis, while appointments of employees from BPS-16 and above are made on a divisional basis. However, after initial appointment and posting in the relevant areas, some employees succeed through various means in getting themselves transferred to Quetta district, as a result of which they are posted or adjusted in various schools, institutions, and other departments of Quetta city.
The petition further pointed out that due to this practice, the sanctioned posts at the employees’ original places of posting fall vacant, which are later used for new recruitments. Thus a cycle continues under which employees recruited against posts reserved for specific areas are transferred to Quetta, while local students of those areas have to face a shortage of teachers and lack of educational facilities.
According to the court’s observation, this course of action not only affects the basic purpose of appointments on a union council and division basis but also severely affects the rights and legitimate interests of the residents of the relevant areas. Declaring this matter to be of public importance, the court stressed the need to ensure fair distribution of government employees and the availability of teaching and non-teaching staff at the places where their posts were actually sanctioned.
The court, at an initial stage, through an order dated October 21, 2025, had directed the Education Department authorities to submit a comprehensive report regarding the total number of primary, middle, and high schools in the province, details of functional and non-functional schools, availability of teachers, sanctioned posts, and vacant posts. The court had also sought details of the reasons for vacant posts, including retirement, death, resignation, deputation, transfers, marriage policy, extraordinary leave, permanent adjustment, and other relevant reasons.
During the hearing on September 17, 2026, Additional Advocate General and Secretary Education Lal Jan Jaffar informed the court that certain steps had been taken to resolve this issue; however, given the longstanding nature of the matter, more time was required to compile a comprehensive report.
Later, during the hearing on October 1, 2026, the Additional Advocate General submitted a report in court, stating that a complete ban had been imposed on transferring and posting teaching and non-teaching staff from any district to Quetta district; however, room for relaxation in this ban has been kept in extraordinary circumstances.
The court, keeping in view the gravity and public importance of the matter, directed the respondents to take immediate steps to withdraw all relevant orders transferring teaching and non-teaching staff from their original places to any other station or district, especially Quetta district. The court further ordered that all such employees be restored or reposted to their original place of posting, except in those matters in which the court has issued an order individually.
The court made clear that the concerned officers and employees will submit regular joining reports upon reaching their original place of posting, while Education Department authorities will ensure implementation of the judicial order in its spirit and intent. In this regard, directions were also issued to present a comprehensive report containing the joining reports of all concerned employees and details of implementation of judicial orders before the court at or before the next hearing.
The court also directed that copies of the order be sent through the Advocate General and Additional Advocate General Balochistan to the Chief Secretary Balochistan, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Balochistan, Secretary S&GAD, Secretary Law and Parliamentary Affairs, Secretary Finance, Secretary Colleges and Higher Education, and Secretary Education (Schools), so that a high-powered committee at the secretariat level can take immediate action to implement the judicial order and a report in this regard can be submitted to the court through the Secretary Education (Schools).
The court adjourned further hearing of the case until November 3, 2026.
