Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif has issued orders for sending back officers who have completed their three-year tenure of deputation in other departments of the province to their parent departments, Pakistan Today has learnt.
It has been observed that a large number of government officials are performing their duties on deputation in different departments and many among them have completed their deputation tenure. Belonging to Punjab and even other provinces, these officers had been deputed in different years to different departments such as health, education, home, agriculture and irrigation.
Sources however said that of these officers many had served in other departments for five years on deputation, but were still working or were not ready to go back even though a number of them had been called by their parent departments.
According to the rules, any government official can serve on deputation for three years. However, there is an option where a deputed person can be allowed to work for more than two years if their parent organisation allows them.
Sources said that a few days back the Chief Minister’s Secretariat issued a letter directing all the government departments to send back all deputed officials of grade 17 and above to their parent departments. The Implementation and Coordination (I&C) Wing has forwarded this directive to all departments concerned for implementation.
An officer in the Services & General Administration Department (S&GAD) wishing anonymity told Pakistan Today that a large number of officers had been deputed to their favorite departments due to their links with influential politicians or bureaucrats.
“Such influential people and bigwigs are the main stumbling block in sending back deputed officials to their parent departments,” added the official.
