Expat seeks information on Pak officials working abroad

Wants details of their posts, salaries in international financial institutions

ISLAMABAD: An overseas Pakistani has sought help from the Islamabad High Court (IHC) in getting details of Pakistani civil servants employed at international institutions.

The case is expected to be heard by Justice Athar Minallah of the IHC on Monday.

Anjum Mubashar Mughal, a Pakistani and Belgium dual national, sought details of officials working abroad under Article 19-A (right of information) of Constitution. He has named the Federation through the Establishment Division secretary as the respondent.



Article 19-A states: “every citizen shall have the right to have access to information in all matters of public importance subject to regulation and reasonable restrictions imposed by law.” Mughal, through his counsel Yasir Mehmood Chaudhary, contended that he was an indirect taxpayer. Moreover, he claimed that he had been directly aggrieved by the Establishment Division allowing Pakistani civil servants to join institutions such as the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, the International Monetary Firm (IMF).



Chaudhry contended that while working in these institutions, Pakistani officials did not serve their country. The counsel added that the government of Pakistan spends large sums of taxpayers’ money on recruiting, training and other expenses on civil servants.

Further, Mughal in his written request contended that the establishment division allows government officers ‘ex-Pakistan’ leave so that they work for international financial institutions. He stated that these officers continue to receive their salaries, perks and family accommodations from the Pakistan government during the period of this ‘leave’ period in addition to drawing salaries and benefits from the international institutions where they worked.



“These officers’ interests are mostly [aligned] with those international institutions instead of Pakistan,” he alleged in his request.

In the petition, Chaudhary said, the matter was of public importance and that the respondent was legally bound to provide information under the law about all in-service civil servants who were currently serving in international institutions. Additionally, Mughal has sought details of the expenditure which the government incurred over recruitment and training of these civil servants. Moreover, he has also requested details of the remuneration, salaries, allowances and other facilities provided to these officials from the national exchequer.

Explaining the need for the petition, Chaudhry wrote that the petitioner had on February 5 written to the Establishment Division secretary but received no answer. Hence, Article 19-A of the Constitution was breached.

He urged the court to direct the Establishment Division to provide information regarding in-service civil servants employed in international institutions under Article 19-A of the Constitution.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 7^th, 2017.