Retired bureaucrats still being employed

Law ministry has over a dozen retired officials on senior positions.

ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs has employed over a dozen retired bureaucrats on senior positions on a contract basis, The Express Tribune has learnt.

“Many retired bureaucrats have been hired at gazetted posts, including senior legislative advisers,” sources within the establishment division said.

Two senior legislative advisers, six senior joint secretaries, solicitor-general of the ministry and six section officers have been employed on a contractual basis.

Malik Hakim Khan has been working in the ministry as a senior legislative adviser in the MP-I scale, which is the most lucrative package being offered by the ministry. Muhammad Munir Leghari has also been appointed as senior legislative adviser on MP-II scale.

Nasir Ali Shah was appointed on a contract as the solicitor-general, another key slot in the ministry meant to deal with the government’s legal issues.

Senior Joint Secretary Administration Rana Baqir Ali is among the six who have been employed on a contractual basis. The other five are Dr Riaz Mehmood, Syed Sultan Shah, Attaullah Bangash, Syed Muhammad Rafiq Shah and Manzoor Ahmed Mirza.

There are six section officers in the law ministry who were hired after their retirement from other government departments. Their names are: Maqbool Hussain Malik, Muhammad Siddiq, Malik Zulfiqar Hussain, Dost Muhammad, Abdul Munaaf Khattak and Malik Mumtaz.

But sources in the law ministry defended the selection of these bureaucrats saying, “The slots were offered to retired officers who showed great know how in the field of law.”

“Legal expertise is required for a legislative adviser and senior joint secretaries. That is why these persons have been appointed on a contractual basis,” a senior official said on condition of anonymity.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 12^th, 2011.