Situationer: 43 top officials sitting idle

ISLAMABAD: Forty-three officers of the country’s top bureaucracy are currently OSDs or awaiting postings in the Establishment Division.

These officers in grades 20 to 22 belong to Pakistan Administrative Service, Police Service, Security Group, Inland Revenue Service, Pakistan Customs, Information Group and Pakistan Audit and Accounts. They include Federal Secretary, Additional Secretary, Joint Secretary and IG level officers. They are taking home salary for doing no work.

During the audit of the accounts of Establishment Division, the audit authorities have objected that the home salary is a waste of national exchequer. Fifteen Grade 22, 13 of Grade 21 and 20 Grade 20 officers are not only drawing salary but also receiving executive allowance.

Six Grade 22 officers of Pakistan Administrative Service are OSDs. They include Zafar Hassan, Muhammad Azam Khan, Umar Rasool, Muhammad Usman Chachar, Abdul Aziz Aqeeli and Aizaz Aslam Dar. Muhammad Azam Khan has been the principal secretary of former prime minister. Azam Khan was made an OSD on October 10, 2022 and Umar Rasool from March 8, 2022. The remaining four officers are OSDs from August 18, 2023.

PAS Grade 21 officer Tahir Khurshid is OSD from April 13, 2022. He has been the principal secretary of former Punjab chief minister Usman Buzdar. Grade 21 officer and ex-commissioner Rawalpindi Gulzar Hussain Shah is OSD from April 18, 2021. Mussadaq Ahmed Khan of Grade 21 is OSD from August 18. Grade 22 officer of Police Service Sanaullah Abbasi, from April 21, 2022, Mushtaq Ahmed Maher from May 19, 2022, Dr Muhammad Sulaiman from May 18, 2022, Kanwar Shahrukh from September 1, 2023, Grade 21 officer of Police Service Inam Ghani from May 9, 2022, Muhammad Aamir Zulifkar Khan from January 25, 2023, Ahmed Mukkaram from February 15, 2023, Muhammad Saeed from March 21, 2023 and Ghulam Nabi Memon from August 30, 2023 are OSDs.

Information Group Grade 22 officer and Assistant Secretary Information and Broadcasting Shahira Shahid has been OSD for seven months and Information Group Grade 21 officer Sohail Ali Khan for two months.

Inland Revenue Service Grade 22 officer Farina Mazhar, Pakistan Audit and Accounts Service Grade 22 officer Abdul Ghafran Memon, Secretariat Group Grade 22 officer Waqar Ahmed and Pakistan Customs Service Grade 22 officer Dr Ahmed Mujtaba Memon are also OSDs. Syed Khalid Ali Raza Gardezi, Meraj Anis Arif and Zulfikar Hussain Awan are OSDs.

Grade 20 officers of Secretariat Group who are OSDs include Waqar Ali Kethran, Mohammad Riaz, Ismatullah Khan, Maarvi Qadir Dakhin, Ghulam Sarwar, Kamran Ahmed, Usman Sarosh Alvi, Laeeq Ahmed, Sabino, Sikandar Jalal, Kamran Farooq Ansari and Shahzad Nawaz Cheema.

There is frustration among these senior officers due to non-availability of postings. They are of the view the Supreme Court has given the observation that OSDs should not be kept for more than three months. The government can make postings but keeping them OSDs or waiting appointment for a long time without any reason is unfair.