KP Validates Hiring of 2,400 Doctors

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Cabinet has declared that the recruitment of 2,400 doctors on contract was carried out on merit and in line with the prescribed rules.

The decision came during the last cabinet meeting of the 2025-26 financial year, chaired by Chief Minister Muhammad Sohail Afridi, where a range of administrative and development matters were reviewed.

Discussing the doctors’ recruitment, the chief minister said several complaints had been received through the CM Complaint Cell, most of them related to personal details, while around 21 complaints were linked to merit. He said a detailed review found the process to be lawful and transparent, although some candidates did not fully understand the procedure.

Afridi said the complaint mechanism would remain open and assured that if any deserving candidate was found to have been treated unfairly, corrective steps would be taken. He added that the province faced a shortage of doctors and said no eligible candidate would be ignored.

During the meeting, the chief minister also said the next three months would be crucial for turning the newly approved budget into visible relief for the public. He told departments that government performance should be judged by public satisfaction at the grassroots level, not by presentations or social media activity.

He praised cabinet members, parliamentary secretaries, and officials from the Finance and Planning and Development departments for preparing what he described as a people-focused budget, but stressed that implementation would be the real test.

The cabinet also approved a series of other measures, including the closure of the Transport Department’s Driving School and the transfer of its staff to a new Driving Cell to regulate private driving schools. It also approved amendments to the Letters of Administration and Succession Certificates Rules 2021, granting full fee waivers to the legal heirs of martyrs from the armed forces, police, and civilians killed in terrorism or conflict.

Other decisions included the transfer of two kanals of land in Ratta Kulachi, Dera Ismail Khan, to NADRA for a regional office, the establishment of a Debt Management Committee, the creation of a Digital Governance Enablement Unit in the Finance Department, and approval of the $20 million Public Resources for Inclusive Development program aimed at improving revenue generation and digital service delivery.

The cabinet also approved funds for pursuing the province’s NFC case and cleared extensions and budgets for health facilities, including Government General Hospital Nishtarabad.

Information Minister Shafiq Jan, while briefing the media after the meeting, said the government remained committed to transparency, merit, and zero tolerance for corruption.