21 bureaucrats sidelined by authorities

More than two dozen officers ‘on special duty’ await postings, various posts are lying vacant in the top bureaucracy.

ISLAMABAD: Close to two dozen experienced top bureaucrats dumped into an ineffective pool of Officers on Special Duty (OSDs) for various reasons are waiting for postings – some of them for years – but there seems hardly any will on part of the government to utilise their ‘expertise’, it is learnt.

As many as 21 bureaucrats, who had to be accommodated in various departments, were sidelined by authorities on various pretexts.

A fresh list of secretaries/additional secretaries of ministries, compiled by the Establishment Division last month and made available to The Express Tribune, also indicates that various posts are lying vacant in the top bureaucracy. Various bureaucrats are facing departmental inquiries since years without any solid reasons, it further indicates.

According to details, Hassan Waseem Afzal of District Management Group (DMG) /BS-21, who served as Deputy Chairman National Accountability Bureau, is working as an OSD since June 2008 while he will reach his superannuation on April 26, 2013.

Liaquat Ali Khan of DMG/BS 20, who is working as an OSD since 2005 with Extra Ordinary Leave (EOL) of one and a half month. His superannuation is on February 2010.

Rana Naseem Ahmad of DMG/BS 20, was on the EOL for two years working as an OSD and will reach the age of 60 by the end of 2015.

The Establishment Division list continues to state that Captain (Retd) Muhammad Aftab of DMG/BS 20, is working as an officer on special duty and his date of superannuation is August 2018.

Captain (Retd) Fazeel Asghar of DMG/BS 20, who also worked as Chief Commissioner Islamabad is working as an OSD since December last year. His date of superannuation will be in the year 2021.

Saud Aziz of PSP/BS 20, who worked as City Police Office Multan, has been working as an OSD since April this year and his date of superannuation will be in August 2017.

Sarfraz Hussain of PSP/BS 20, whose name was on the list of officers who were promoted to BS 21 by the Establishment Division last month, is working as an OSD since June 2008. His superannuation is in April 2013.

A BS 20 officer Muhammad Irfan Elahi of district management group was also working as an OSD since seven and a half months.

Rukhsana Rehman of Pakistan Civil Service — recently promoted to BS 20 — is an OSD as she was enrolled in a course and her date of superannuation is in 2016.

Shaukat Ali Khan of PSP/BS 21, who remained deputy commandant Frontier Corps, is working as an OSD since July this year and he will get his superannuation in April next year.

Abdul Majid of PSP/BS 21, who also served as additional inspector general police Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, is on deputation since July this year and his superannuation date is November 2011.

Fakhruddin of PSP/BS 21 is working as an OSD since December last year; his superannuation date is in 2012.

Farkhanda Waseem Afzal, a DMG officer in BS-21, was among the 50 or so OSDs. She had earlier refused to accept any posting on grounds that she could not work under a junior (the chief secretary), the official said.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 20^th, 2010.