Salaries of high-ranking officers frozen over failure to implement court orders

Islamabad:The Federal Service Tribunal (FST) has ordered the freeze of salaries for four top government officers and four departmental representatives for failing to implement a court decision related to teachers' rights. The FST's decision comes in response to the "lethargic and disdainful attitude" exhibited by these officials, which the court states is exacerbating the difficulties faced by employees within their departments.

The affected officers include the Secretary, Ministry of Federal Education & Professional Training, the Secretary Ministry of Finance, the Director General Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) and the Director of Model Colleges Wing. 

The departmental representatives facing salary suspension are Syed Asif Hussain (Section Officer), Abid Munir (Director Legal FDE), Syed Muhammad Rehan (Deputy Director Legal FDE), and Syed Zahir Hussain Gillani (Deputy Director FDE). 

The court's decision stems from appeals filed in 2012 and 2013, which culminated in a judgment on April 23, 2019. 

The judgment granted the applicants protection of pay and pension from the date of their appointment on a daily wage basis. However, despite numerous court directions issued since then, the respondents failed to implement the judgment.

In a stern rebuke, the FST expressed frustration over the lack of response from the authorities and asserted that it had no option but to issue an order to the Accountant General Pakistan Revenue (AGPR) to stop the salaries of the respondents and departmental representatives.