ISLAMABAD: The Office Management Group (OMG) of the civil service on Tuesday requested the establishment secretary to repeal the notorious statutory regulatory orders (SRO) under which the power group Pakistan Administrative Service (PAS) reserved a big portion of seats.
Documents indicate that OMG officers demanded to Establishment Secretary Maroof Afzal, an officer of the PAS, that SRO No 88/2014 and 89/2014 immediately be repealed in order to ensure just and equitable career progression to the OMG officers.
Establishment Division issued the aforementioned SRO in 2014 in which most of the seats were reserved to the power group PAS group officers. One officer speaking to Pakistan Today on the condition of anonymity said that the Principal Secretary to Prime Minister Fawad Hasan Fawad prepared this notorious SRO under which 75 percent sanctioned posts of the deputy secretary, 65 percent of the joint secretary, 100 percent of the senior joint secretary, 35 percent of the additional secretary and 35 percent of the federal secretary was given to the PAS.
The PAS, previously known as the DMG group officers hold most of the important federal and provincial seats and other group officers are being intentionally neglected, the officer claimed.
The federal secretariat, consisting of 34 ministries/43 Divisions, assigned with the multifarious responsibilities from coordination with the international organisations to formulations of policy and its implementation thereof, through respective attached departments, subordinates organisations, autonomous and anti-autonomous bodies and provincial governments is undoubtedly the backbone of the executive, however the service structure of the OMG officers and secretariat group (SG) appointed to the civil superior services, through highly competitive process is marred with multitude of problems which merit immediate action.
Documents state that the OMG/ SG officers by virtue of their horizontal and vertical career progression have to settle in Islamabad. Undoubtedly, the cost of living in the ICT is very high, whereas, their salary structure is not commensurate with their responsibilities as well as job compulsions. The comparison between the salaries of the employees of the judiciary, police, regulatory authorities, FBR, the National Assembly, Senate and others are highly disconcerting and demotivated.
In addition, the cadre post of the OMG/SG has been unlawfully and illegally occupied by the non-cadre deputations and inductees. They have not been repatriated as per the directions of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, due to favouritism and political connections of the beneficiaries.
Furthermore, the cadre posts of the SG deputy secretary, joint secretary, additional secretary and federal secretary, the natural career path of the OMG officers, have been unlawfully and illegally allocated to the PAS against the spirit of civil servants Act, 1973.
The group demanded that the establishment division should give representation in the civil services reforms committee as well as grant the executive allowance, equivalent to 1.5* basic pay to all the officers of OMG/SG/PAS, working against the cadre posts of the OMG/SG in the federal secretariat.
Moreover, the government should provide monetisation of transport facility to the BS 17 to 19 officers of OMG/SG in the federal secretariat. They also demand that the establishment division assures the repatriation of the deputation sits in light of the apex court’s decisions and the department’s change of nomenclature with the section officers, BS 17 and 18 designated as assistant secretary and undersecretary respectively.
It is worth mentioning here that group officers on Tuesday went on strike against the discriminatory policies of the government and announced to continue their protest until and unless the aforementioned demands are accepted.