Law in the making: Bill seeks bar on civil servants’ foreign jobs

Up to 42 officials took up positions in Pakistan and abroad.

ISLAMABAD:

The upper house of parliament on Monday unanimously adopted a legislation aimed at barring civil servants from taking jobs at international organisations during their term as government employees.

In a rare show of support, the private members bill, moved by Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) Senator Syeda Sughra Imam fared through Senate without any opposition.

The PPP lawmaker sought in her bill that civil servants shall not take up portfolios in international organisation, international non-governmental organisations, international financial institutions or foreign donor agencies while they are still serving the government of Pakistan.

Once passed by the National Assembly, the new law will bar bureaucrats from taking jobs with international organisations during their term as government employees.

Last year, Imam filed a question seeking details of bureaucrats who are working with international organisation after taking a long leave from the government.

Interestingly, the PPP lawmaker was informed that 42 high ranking officials had taken positions in consultancies within Pakistan and elsewhere in the world.

Highlighting details of the new legislation, Imam told The Express Tribune that once enacted into law it would not affect those who are deputed in international organisations by the government.

“Top civil servants take long leaves, sometimes for 5 to 10 years and serve with international organisations and later they use their influence in Pakistan on behalf of those organisations” she said.

According to statement of objectives and reasons of the law, a civil servant must have undivided loyalty to the State of Pakistan. When a bureaucrat takes a leave of absence from his official duties and starts working for international organisations while continuing to be a servant of the State of Pakistan, it is tantamount to a conflict of interest.

“This Bill seeks to ensure that this practice of “outsourcing” Pakistani Civil Servants to international organisations ceases, and they serve the state of Pakistan only in their official capacity” it added.

Water disputes with India

The house also adopted a resolution moved by Sughra Imam, urging the government to include the water dispute with India in the Composite Dialogue or any dialogue process that is revived or initiated with India. The resolution was passed unanimously.

Training facilities in jails

Tabled by another PPP legislator Sehar Kamran, the upper house of parliament also adopted a resolution demanding that the provincial governments make necessary arrangements for vocational training of inmates and educational facilities for children in prison facilities.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 11^th, 2014.