Law department: Govt to extend secretary’s contract again

Dr Syed Abdul Hassan Najmee’s contract expired Oct 18.

LAHORE:

The Punjab government is planning to extend the contract of the law and parliamentary affairs secretary for a third time, in contravention of policies against rehiring retired public servants, The Express Tribune has learnt. 

Dr Syed Abdul Hassan Najmee, who is now 70, had retired from service in January 2004 upon reaching the age of superannuation, according to official records. He was re-employed for two years and posted to the Law and Parliamentary Affairs Department in October 2009.

Najmee’s contract was extended in October 2011 and was due to expire on October 18, 2013. He is now expected to be given another extension.



Najmee had been absorbed in the assembly cadre and joined the Punjab Assembly in 1993. He served as assembly secretary when Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi was speaker and Mian Shahbaz Sharif was chief minister in 1997-99.

According to a notification issued by the Services and General Administration Department (S&GAD) on October 19, 2009, Najmee was rehired in a relaxation of the Re-Employment Policy of 2003 and the Contract Appointment Policy of 2004. These state that retired officials above the age of 63 should not be hired on contract in the public sector. The notification did not mention what grade Najmee had been re-employed at.

A proposal to extend his contract again is currently being discussed at the S&GAD, a senior department official said. “He is considered a seasoned official with vast knowledge of the law,” the official said.

Another senior official said Najmee had forwarded a request to the chief secretary for provision of PhD allowance six months ago, but the request was rejected.



Najmee told The Express Tribune that he had not been asked if he would like an extension and he would only decide if he did once he was asked. “I had a working day after the Eid holidays and to my knowledge there has been no development regarding the extension of my contract,” he said, “This is the government’s prerogative.”

S&GAD Secretary Syed Mubasher Raza also denied any knowledge of the issue.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 20^th, 2013.