Rancour in admin over contractual appointments

Continued extension of contractual appointment in key administrative posts and the subsequent backlog of promotion in the civil service have whipped up fresh rancour.

Sources said that the contractual appointments of Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister Dr Kamal Uddin Siddiqui, Establishment Secretary Anwarul Bar Chowdhury, Local Government Division Secretary AYBI Siddiqui and acting Energy Division Secretary SM Shamsul Alam for the second time has further angered the officials.

They said the continued contractual appointments have forced many additional secretaries to go into retirement although they were in contention to become secretaries.

Most officials said while thousands of mid- and junior-level officials who have been in the queue for years are not getting promoted, others who have already served their terms are being appointed on contract.

Mid-and junior-level officials said the so-called 'CSP (Civil Service of Pakistan) Secretaries' are busy getting job extension on contracts even after having served for 30 years or more.

"It is ridiculous as the successive governments consider CSPs as the most learned and reliable. But what did the CSPs do in the last 29 years since independence? The CSPs had clearly co-operated with the military regimes and isolated the democratic governments from civil servants as well as people through various acts and also through wrong suggestions," said a senior official on condition of anonymity.

He said the government should immediately do away with contractual appointments if it was to groom promising officials who joined civil service after independence. Except for the 1973 batch, scores of brilliant officers are serving the administration who are competent enough to run the administration and fill in the shoes of the CSPs.

According to sources at the Ministry of Establishment, several secretaries on both regular and contractual appointments will go on Leave Preparatory Retirement (LPR) and retirement this month. As usual, they are lobbying frantically to get an extension.

According to official figures, 22 of 54 secretaries in the administration are on contract while 14 others are additional secretaries in charge of different ministries and divisions. Only 18 of them are regular.

They said Water Resources Secretary Faisal Ahmed Chow-dhury's contract expires on January 21, Communications Secretary Syed Rezaul Hayat's on January 26, Primary and Mass Education Secretary Dr Tehmina Hussain's on January 11 and IMED Secretary Manik Lal Somaddar's sometime in the current month.

Sources said these secretaries also have been lobbying for a second time contract. The Ministry of Establishment is preparing their files and is expected to send those to the prime minister for her approval.

Besides, several regular secretaries are due to go on LPR in the current month. Women and Children Affairs Secretary Mahfuzul Islam goes on LPR from January 13, Shipping Secretary Golam Rahman from January 18, Fisheries and Livestock Secretary Abdul Haq from January 16 and Environment and Forest Secretary Sabihuddin Ahmed from January 24.

Besides, Agriculture Secretary Ayub Quadri will go in LPR from March 15, Health Secretary Fazlur Rahman from February 20, Labour and Manpower Secretary Helaluddin Khan from February 16, Commerce Secretary Suhel Ahmed from May 20 and Social Welfare Secretary Abdul Jabbar from June 29.

Moreover, several acting secretaries (in the rank of additional secretary) will also go on LPR in the current month and within next few months. They are Acting Housing Secretary Aminur Rahman from January 19, acting Youth Secretary Jamaluddin Ahmed from January 22, acting Food Secretary Khairu-zzaman Chowdhury from February 4, acting Secretary of Expatriates Welfare and Overseas Employment Daliluddin Mandal from February 9, acting Secretary of Disaster Management and Relief BMM Mazharul Haq from May 30 and acting Civil Aviation and Tourism Secretary Shafiqul Islam from July 23. The contract of acting Secretary of CHT Affairs Syed Mostaq will expire on March 28.

There used to be a 10 per cent ceiling for contractual appointment when the president used to be in charge of such appointments. However, immediately after coming to office the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP)-led alliance abolished the system.

Sources at the Prime Minister's Office hinted that many secretaries and senior officials would get contractual appointment before they go on LPR.

The sources said the coalition government has set a new high in terms of giving contractual appointments, and by so doing stagnated the entire administration.