‘Dabaang’ officer claims she has been removed from office as Punjab Food Authority maintains she is on paid leave.
Ayesha Mumtaz, the director of operations at the Punjab Food Authority, claimed on Saturday she had been sacked from her post after over a year in office.
Mumtaz says she had applied for 104 days paid leave to care for an ailing family member, which was granted. However, says the 39-year-old civil servant, “no one has asked me to report back.”
A spokesman for the Authority denied Mumtaz had been sacked and affirmed to Newsweek she was on paid leave for three months. Newly appointed Director General Noorul Amin Mengal also denied the claims, adding Mumtaz will return to her duties once her leave duration expires.
The Punjab Food Authority is tasked to inspect and document unhygienic conditions at restaurants and food manufacturing units in Punjab province. Under Mumtaz, who became known as the Dabaang (fearless) lady, these activities were ramped up in a high-octane—and public—campaign that cracked down on local eateries. A team of 24 officers has led over 10,000 inspections since June last year, fining several unhygienic eateries and temporarily sealing others.
Mumtaz’s use of social media—the department would name and shame health code violators on Facebook—has been criticized by business owners, but her efforts were praised until August, when she sealed two dried milk factories in Lahore, run by Premier Dairies (Pvt.) Ltd. and Millac Foods (Pvt.) Ltd. The team found bottles of expired powdered milk being packaged and sold to domestic consumers. “This is not only against the law, it is dangerous,” an officer told Newsweek on condition of anonymity, “people could die.”
In addition to packaging expired products, Millac was also operating without a valid license to manufacture dried milk. Both factories were sealed in August, but have since reopened under orders from Mengal, implying a rift with Mumtaz.
Despite the director general’s vehement denials of the sacking Mumtaz remains skeptical. She told Newsweek she has little hope of being allowed to return to her duties.
View Comments (13)
She is an honest Officer and was bound to face this situation. I wish this news is false.
Now this is pakistan where honesty is punished even i wish this milk should get delivered to these bureaucrats family tbe owner s kids. What a shame ?? We r very proud of miss mumtaz and we pray that she should come back and take up her job with the same zeal.
It would be a shame if an upright and honest officer is removed because she was not doing things in rut of the mill manner
The Mafia is successful and bad days for Govt and public started
Hope the news is false and she returns
Shame on us. We should not let this happen.
Its a common thing. Honesty is punishable & corrupt officers are placed instead. Shame.
Ayesha don't loose the HOPE Pakistan needs officers like you. Right now people of Pakistan sleeping and Imran Khan is also trying to wake them....
its rare to see officials like her who performed duties with honesty and determination. if the news of sacking her is true shame on the system that encourages corruption. We look forward to her return to her position and hope some one looks into this matter.
She should be running this country!!!!
She was not sacked, she says she applied for the leave and got it. Postings and transfers are an integral part of government service and no one expects to go back to the previous post after a long leave.