Controversy hits Punjab Civil Secretariat

A controversy has started in the Punjab Civil Secretariat over condition of examination for regularisation of Provincial Management Service (PMS) officers in BPS-17, Pakistan Today has learnt. The Services and General Administration (S&GAD) Department recently started implementing rules, which demanded that an officer must clear the departmental examination in addition to the MPDD training and three-year service. But the rule of taking the departmental exam was not practiced in letter and spirit and officers have been working in BPS-17 for years.
According to details, out of 200 officers from batches of PMS I, II and III, 106 have cleared the exams so far, while 86 have been left out of whom 74 are promotees while 12 are direct appointees. The direct appointees are fresh and have no issue as such to take departmental exams, however it has initiated serious unrest within the ranks of officers who have reached BPS-17 after years of service, many of whom actually started their service as junior clerks. Talking to Pakistan Today, a section officer, seeking anonymity, said the recent move to take the departmental exam has given rise to a controversy within the official quarters alleging “the DMG officers are taking revenge against them for taking part in a recent strike and being vocal against them”. “The qualification of a junior clerk is Matriculation and after more than 30 years of service he becomes a section officer in BPS-17 and now in his 50’s the S&GAD has asked him to appear in an exam and take six papers of law. This is unjust by any principle of law,” he said, adding that the existing rules do not demand giving departmental exams.
“They will not regularise a junior officer before his senior because if they supersede a senior it will be against the law and hence they have not done it so far,” he added. Sources said that a commission was set up to resolve the matter with input from the finance department, regulations wing and law department and both secretary law and regulation were vocal against implementing this condition “out of the blue” and termed it “unjust”. “Moreover, the S&GAD has not regularised even those officers who have cleared the exams and failed to show the regularisation orders when the secretary regulations demanded for it in the committee meeting,” they added.
However, Additional Secretary Ehsan Bhutta said the departmental exams are mandatory according to PCS Act Section 5, 1974 and according to Rule 7 of the PCS Appointment and Condition Rules, 1974. “The step is historic and has been taken to regularise all BPS-17 officers as per the law for the first time,” he said, adding that no new rules have been devised, while only old rules are being implemented without any discrimination and only 86 officers are left while enquiries are pending against seven others, while a majority has already cleared it, he added.