Ex-armymen occupying top slots in govt depts
29 May, 2007
By Siddiq Sajid
Large scale appointments, of retired armed forces officers, on key posts, on hefty pay-packages and lucrative perks and privileges in federal ministries, divisions and attached departments have once again left the civilian setup with the shorter end of the stick and the increasing ‘military infiltration’ slowly seems to eat away the roots of the bureaucracy and left over civil rule in the country.
A list of 225 retired armed forces officers, who have been appointed on key posts, has been tabled in the National Assembly by the Minister in Charge of the Establishment Division, Dr. Sher Afghan Niazi that shows that these officers have been re-employed on contract basis in Grade 17 to 22.
Though the Armed Forces’ 10 per cent quota in civil service have been observed and 29 retired armed forces officers have been inducted in civil service on permanent as well as on contract basis but Prime Minister, Federal Ministers and Establishment Division attained the services of 225 retired army men on contract basis during the year 2005 to 2007.
On the question of peoples party MNA Beelum Husnain, the Minister In Charge Establishment Division told the Lower House in a written reply that the laid down procedure of re-employment after retirement is different for those armed forces officers who are appointed on contract basis or on secondment basis in the Ministries, Divisions and attach departments.
The list of these officers is only provided to the members but government tabled it in the library of National Assembly also for record. Weekly “Pulse” got the copy of this list that shows that during the last three years, the Prime Minister approved the re-employment of 96 retired army men on key posts, while the remaining 129 appointments were made by the Establishment Division, concerned head of the department or on the recommendations of ministers.
12 retired generals have been appointed in MP-1, MP-2, MP-3, and M-1 scales and they are drawing hefty salaries and other facilities, allowances, perks and privileges burdening the national kitty.
Majority of the officers were appointed on two year contract but they got extension after the expiry of contract period.
The extension example of the Rector, National University of Science and Technology (NUST) Lt. Gen. (retd) Syed Shujaat Hussain is really extraordinary. He was appointed as Rector NUST in February 1992 after his retirement from army, but he has been given continuous extensions by the past governments. Even the current setup last extended his appointment for the period of two years.
Evacuee Trust Property Board, Pakistan Automobile Corporation, Sindh Engineering Limited, Alternative Energy Development Board, Pakistan Steel Mills, National Institute of Health, Pakistan Environmental Planning and Architectural Consultants, Karachi Port Trust, Civil Aviation Authority, National Accountability Bureau, NUST, NIPA, CBR and other ministries and departments are being run by the retired army men or they are holding key influential positions in the setups.
The list of retired armed forces officers re-employed on contract or on secondment basis in the ministries, attached departments and divisions from 2005 to 2007 are as under:
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