565 bureaucrats to come under scrutiny this month

‘Incompetent’ officers to be forced into early retirement under new rules

ISLAMABAD:

A board meeting will be held by the end of this month to review the performance of 565 government officers from grade 20 to 22 belonging to the Administrative Service, Police Service and Secretariat Group so that those falling below expectations or having a tainted record could be forced into an early retirement under new rules.

A performance review after the completion of 20 years of service is necessary under the Civil Servants (Directory Retirement from Service) Rules, 2020, introduced in April this year.

The scrutiny process for officers from grade 17 to 19 and grade 16 and below will start in August.

Prime Minister Imran Khan had ordered the Establishment Division to circulate instructions to all ministries, divisions, departments and cadre administration, pertaining to the new civil servants' retirement rules.

According to the rules, officers eligible for early retirement include those who have receive three or more average performance evaluation reports; who have been recommended twice for supersession; found guilty of corruption; or have entered into a plea bargain with the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) or any investigating agency.

Each division, department or office will maintain a list of civil servants who have completed service along with their complete service record.

The retirement board and retirement committees will review performance of all civil servants.

Under sub-rule(1), prior of being retired, at the age of superannuation, cases of civil servants will be referred by the secretary or cadre administrator concerned to the relevant retirement board or retirement committees if it is determined that grounds for directory retirement as specified in rule 5 have become applicable.

Under the rules, if the competent authority, after examining the recommendations of the retirement board and other record placed before it, agrees with the recommendations for directory retirement of a civil servant, he shall issue a show-cause notice to the civil servant concerned informing him of the grounds on which it is proposed to make the directive and will provide him the opportunity of personal hearing if so requested by the civil servant concerned.

In the cases where the prime minister is the competent authority, he may designate a BS-22 officer for granting personal hearing to the civil servant(s) on his behalf.

A civil servant against whom an order for directory retirement is passed by the competent authority will be eligible for pension as the competent authority may direct.