The tussle within the bureacracy – Standing defiant

LAHORE – The Punjab government is going through a difficult time as most of its provincial service officers are on strike and it is managing its essential business by replacing officers on key posts. The Provincial Civil Service (PCS) Officers’ Association claims that the strike is against the “discriminatory” attitude of the district management group (DMG) officers, whom they also hold responsible for many other ills such as inflation, patwari culture and lawlessness facing the polity. They have also challenged the Inter-Provincial Coordination Committee (IPCC) formula of 1993 – which defines the share of the federal and provincial officers in provinces – calling it “illegal” and “unconstitutional” and hence demand the repatriation of DMG officers to the federal government.
The government, on the other hand, maintains that most of the 11 demands put up by the provincial service officers have already been met, while a change in the IPCC formula needs legislation on the federal level and hence the ongoing strike is “unjustified” and “unbecoming” of officers. Many measures have been taken so far, such as issuing show-cause notices to several officers, while many have been transferred, but the stalemate continues.
Pakistan Today interviewed PCS Officers’ Association President Rai Manzur Nasir and determined his views on all 11 demands and the ongoing strike.
PT: How do you assess the success of the ongoing strike given that government business has run as per routine through officers which include some provincial service officers?
RMN: So far the strike has been very successful, not only in the secretariat but across the 36 districts of Punjab as well. The government is giving a false impression to the media by asking officials from other departments to keep walking around in the secretariat, holding files. Besides, what was the need to impose Section 144 if things were normal?
PT: Documents available with Pakistan Today reveal that the debate revolves around 11 demands, a majority of which have already been met. What is your take on it?
RMN: The government is only giving a pack of lies. We put up 12 demands and 11 out of which have not been met.
PT: Of these, your first demand was regarding promotions of provincial service officers. As per the available data [also shown to RMN], there are 5 ex-PCS/PSS officers in Grade 21, 37 in Grade 20, 105 in Grade 19 and 170 in Grade 18, against a share of 11, 53, 111 and 302 posts of the respective grades, as per the IPCC formula. What do you have to say to it?
RMN: Firstly, as we have stated that we contest the legality of the IPCC formula. However, for the sake of argument, even as per their (DMG’s) calculation a large number of posts belonging to the provincial service officers are lying vacant.
Secondly, I will not go into the technical details of all grades; even as per the IPCC formula, since we contest their interpretation of the formula. As per our calcuation the PCS share in Grade 21 alone is 21 seats. Only four officers have been posted against these so far. This clearly shows the DMG bias.
PT: Regarding promotions, the data also shows that nine meetings each of the PSB-I and PSB-II have been convened since 2009, clearing 320 provincial service officers for promotion in various grades. What’s your stance?
RMN: If someone owes me a million rupees and returns only Rs 50,000 and claims to have paid the debt, it’s ridiculous. They are not giving us our due share and, in return, blaming us for demanding our rights. The officers promoted are only a small chunk. A much larger number of officers are waiting for promotions.
PT: But, to clear the backlog, the government also arranged special training sessions for provincial service officers in MPDD and NSPP for promotion to BS-18 and above. The data shows that 15 officers were sent for the National Management Course, 31 for Senior Management Course and 271 who have undergone training at the MPDD. The data also shows that after being cleared by the S&GAD and the Establishment Division, many provincial service officers themselves refused to attend the prestigious course on one pretext or the other. How would you justify that?
RMN: Many officers refused training for genuine reasons such as a wedding in the family or illness. To avoid such a situation, we had told higher-ups in meetings that officers eligible for these courses should be asked before forwarding their names to the Establishment Division.
PT: Your second major demand was the notification of posts against which an officer can be promoted. The chief secretary has approved the list and the S&GAD notified the list of such posts and a copy was also made available to PCS/PSS/PMS association. Don’t you think that the DMG fulfilled this demand?
RMN: First of all, I would call it criminal negligence on the part of the DMG not to have notified posts for decades. Secondly, our demand has not been met, as we wanted to include the DTL policy and asked them to notify the share of officers through transfer and promotion in various authorities and attached departments of the government, something which has been ignored.
PT: Another grievance of the provincial service officers was discriminatory provisions of the minimum length of service rules. The government has amended these laws and the new promotion policy of 2010 for provincial officers is along the same lines as the federal government. Don’t you consider it a demand fulfilled?
RMN: The original demand was abolition of all discriminatory rules, however, the government only amended the Punjab Provincial Management Service Rules, 2004 and the Punjab Civil Servants (minimum length of service for promotion) Rules, 2003.
PT: Another long-standing demand was that the seniority list of provincial service officers in BS-18 and above be notified by the S&GAD. The government has already notified the list. What do you have to say?
RMN: Notifying seniority lists was never one of our demands. The section officers were notified in 1999 and a seniority list was issued in 2010. Again, it is negligence that the list was not notified for so many years.
PT: But the seniority dispute within the provincial service officers was going on in court for 10 years and hence the government could not notify the list. How do you see it?
RMN: An environment was created by the DMG, using the policy of divide and rule, so that the provincial service officers keep fighting among themselves.
PT: You also sought amendment in the housing/allotment policy, demanding that the maximum period of retention of government residences after transfer out of Lahore or the province be fixed to three months. The cabinet committee recommended the period to be two years for both federal and provincial officers, reducing the period for DMG from five years. What is your take on it?
RMN: The move is further detrimental to provincial officers as the cabinet committee decided that DMG officers can retain residences until such entitled accommodation is provided to them. There are several officers who are not relieving residences despite a 12 years lapse.
PT: The cabinet committee has also fulfilled another major demand that provincial officers may also be posted as DDO (Revenue) and now many PMS officers are serving on these posts. What would you say?
RMN: Yes, this demand has been met and we are thankful to Zulfiqar Khosa for it, despite sheer opposition from the ACS.
PT: Your demand that junior officers may not be appointed to higher posts is genuine. But don’t you think that it is the chief minister and not the DMG posting such officers?
RMN: It is actually the DMG calling the shots in Punjab and across the country. The chief minister does what is recommended by the DMG, and the practice still continues.
PT: Another demand was giving membership of Punjab Civil Officers Mess (PCOM) to provincial officers. The government has clarified that there is no discrimination and the membership is offered on a first-come, first-served basis, and also that provincial service officers already hold membership.
RMN: The government did not take us on board in formulating the eligibility rules for the membership of the club and all rules have been decided by them.
PT: The government has also acceded to your demand of posting DMG officers as section officers. What’s your take on it?
RMN: The government has accepted the demand but has yet to implement it.
PT: You also demanded that provincial service officers be posted as secretaries, DCOs and commissioners, etc and it was the government’s decision that it is its own prerogative to post officers. [Punjab Law Minister] Rana Sanaullah even mentioned Faisalabad division during the meeting, where all key posts are held by provincial service officers. Besides, there is one commissioner and DCOs also from the provincial service. What do you say?
RMN: The committee agreed that a panel will be formed to resolve the issue, but the committee backed out. There should be a balance between the provincial service and the DMG on key posts. This is unjustified.
PT: Your major demand for the abolition of the IPCC formula is something which needs amendment on the federal level and the Punjab government cannot do anything on its own. Do you think you are justified in making this demand having had the legal knowledge?
RMN: The Balochistan government has abolished the controversial formula. The Balochistan chief secretary, also a DMG, has signed it. When it comes to Punjab, they always highlight legal lacunas when they want to avoid something. Theirs is a policy of discrimination and exploitation.
PT: But the decision has been taken by the cabinet committee, including senior politicians and even PCS officers, many of whom have been appreciated by your association for supporting your cause.
RMN: A PCS officer was on the committee only for the notification of posts against which an officer can be promoted. The politicians here however have little idea about service matters and the internal working of the secretariat. For example, if the CM wants to build a new bus stand, they will always put their choice of the place as first priority with relevant arguments to get it approved.
PT: It is one of the basic roles of the bureaucracy to give opinion to the CM on any matter he desires. Even if all your demands are met, will you not be performing the same function i.e. sending a list of probable options with some on priority?
RMN: We have already proposed a plan to save billions in government funds through small houses for government servants, lesser number of vehicles and other measures. The DMG has on purpose saved the office of patwari by not giving due perks and privileges to the basic officer. The purpose of not giving perks to officials is to encourage corruption.
PT: The data shows that the intent of the government has been to meet your demands, with several promotions, and many officers ready for posting and promotion as well. Reportedly, you showered flowers on the Services secretary after the promotion board promoted several officers from grade 17 to 18 a few days ago. What happened in two days that you had to announce a strike?
RMN: There is no need for this question when I’ve explained our grievances in detail. That we appreciate someone for one good deed does not mean that our grievances were addressed.
PT: The point is that the pace of things is slow in the real world. Even major political parties in our country have deep grievances against the past regime, but still they are seeking their demands being in the system. Don’t you think the strike is unjustified considering what you have got in the last two years is unprecedented?
RMN: It is like someone has to give Rs 100,000 to me and keeps giving small installments on the pretext that just the pace of returning the money is slow and hence I should not protest. I’m no politician and don’t know what politicians do. We have a history of discrimination and exploitation at the hands of the DMG, who is responsible for every major ill facing the country.
PT: What is your future strategy? What are the chances for negotiations, since even the most severe disputes are resolved at the table in the end?
RMN: The committee had to issue a notification after meeting our demands by July last year. We have had 102 meetings with the committee since then, but in vain. Now we do not trust anyone, be it politician or bureaucrat. We will only discontinue after holding a meeting with the chief minister.