QUETTA:
Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti has announced the introduction of an artificial intelligence (AI)-based attendance system in the provincial Health Department for the first time to ensure punctuality, discipline and accountability among government employees.
He said 72 more doctors had been dismissed from service for remaining absent from duty for prolonged periods, taking the total number of Health Department employees terminated over absenteeism to 200.
In a statement posted on social media platform X, the chief minister said Rs410 million had so far been deducted from government employees’ salaries for violations of attendance rules and disciplinary regulations. He added that 11,000 employees had been issued notices seeking explanations for their absence from duty and negligence in performing official responsibilities.
Departmental proceedings were also under way against another 800 government employees, he said.
Bugti emphasised that government employees were public servants and must discharge their responsibilities with honesty, punctuality and a strong sense of accountability. He made it clear that no employee would be allowed to draw a salary without performing duty.
He said negligence, absenteeism and failure to provide public services would not be tolerated, adding that measures to improve attendance, discipline and institutional performance would continue across government departments.
In a separate development, the chief minister has taken personal responsibility for the welfare, education and upbringing of five orphaned siblings, including Munir Ahmed, a young boy who came into the public spotlight through a viral social media video showing him working at a roadside eatery.
Bugti met Munir and obtained details about the family’s circumstances and hardships. He directed the relevant authorities to take immediate measures to ensure quality education, proper accommodation and a secure future for the children and their mother.
The chief minister ordered the admission of Munir, his younger brother and three sisters to educational institutions, directing officials to ensure that they received all necessary facilities to continue their studies without being burdened by financial difficulties or domestic hardships.
He also personally assumed responsibility for supporting all five children and their mother, instructing his staff to ensure that the family’s essential needs, including education, accommodation and general welfare, were adequately addressed.
