ISLAMABAD - In a move that has sent a wave of displeasure and uneasiness among a number of officers working in different sections and federal ministries of federal government, the Establishment Division has almost compiled a list of all those bureaucrats enjoying dual nationality. The list was expected to be submitted to Prime Minister Secretariat any time next week, sources said on Tuesday.
Establishment Division, however, was in the middle of compiling another list containing the name of all those officers who have been working in the ministries and other departments of federal government on deputation since years. The sources said that the Establishment Division will take some time to complete this task.
It is noteworthy that the Establishment Division was tasked by the Prime Minister to compile lists of bureaucrats who were dual nationals, secondly those who were working on deputation and their list of all those inept and corrupt officials.
A large number of officers were inducted and absorbed into various federal ministries from provincial government departments during the last PPP regime.
“Send them back to their parent departments and submit a compliance report within a couple of week. Get ready to face music otherwise,” higher authority in charge of Establishment Division was asked in written by the Prime Minister Secretariat, the sources said.
According to the sources, intelligence agencies have recently submitted a report to the Prime Minister that stated that a large number of bureaucrats at all levels of civil services are serving on deputations in various departments in the federal government for which they were never trained for.
Following the report, the Prime Minister earlier this month asked the authorities of Establishment Division to scrutinize the officials mentioned above.
The Nation has learnt that a wave of disappointment and fear has been felt among scores of bureaucrats working in different ministries and departments of the federal government.
Interestingly, the Establishment Division has denied receiving any such circular from office of Prime Minister Secretariat.
It is worthy of mentioning here that Under a presidential order during 1971 East Pakistan crisis, the government allowed posting and transfers of civil officers in departments other than their original professional groups. Hitherto, interdepartmental transfers and postings in civil services were not allowed.
Afterwards, in the Civil Servants Act 1973 the provision was covered under Section 10 and since then is being ruthlessly used for postings and transfers of federal bureaucracy by the sitting governments.
“This is one of the major reasons behind deteriorating standards of civil services and the country is facing worst ever crisis of governance in public-sector organizations,” remarked a retired federal secretary. “How come an officer who for example is trained in Audit and Accounts Group or District Management Group can deliver if appointed in some other department,” he questioned.
Its against the sanctity of a service and basic rule of governance that officers are inducted, trained in one department and then transferred to another, he said, adding that, “today every second officer of the federal bureaucracy is working under Section 10 and successive governments have kept this provision intact to bring officers of their liking on positions of their choice.”
Under the laid down policy of the Establishment Division, an officer on deputation, if promoted, has to return to his parent department and serve there since he is promoted against a vacant position of his own group.
However, invariably this policy is being violated and promoted officers come to their parent departments for few days for `actualization` of their promotion.
Similarly, the same policy guidelines are being violated in cases of deputations. If an officer is deputed to a department other than his parent organization, initially he/she is transferred for three years.
Deputation period can be extended for one, two or three years at the maximum. However, there are incidences where officers have served on deputations for longer periods than allowed in the policy guidelines of the Establishment Division.