Politics of salary raise in bureaucracy

ISLAMABAD: Without the involvement of the legislature and in the absence of any recommendation from Pay and Pension Committee, the Balochistan government while following the Punjab’s footsteps has also given hefty raise to its top two officials -- chief secretary and inspector general of police.

Rather going one step ahead of Punjab, the Balochistan government has approached the finance ministry in Islamabad to get federal government’s nod to include this raise in the pension of chief secretaries and inspector generals.

In the case of Sindh, the bureaucracy there has got doubled the utility allowance for all the officials and officers working in the provincial secretariat. There is nothing on files as yet but case for the hefty raise in allowance for the chief secretary and IGP Sindh is expected to be approved by the chief minister sooner than later.

Sources said that following the “precedents” already set by Punjab and Balochistan, some federal secretaries have started lobbying to move a case for Prime Minister’s approval for similar raise for federal secretaries and grade-22 officers.

In the past too, it is said that for additional benefits and to get two residential plots for federal secretaries, the topmost mandarins’ forum -- the Secretaries Committee -- was used. The Secretaries Committee, which otherwise rarely meet and remain almost dormant, had become active during Musharraf’s tenure to get additional benefits and two plots for federal secretaries. Later, these benefits were extended to all grade 22 officers.

Regarding the latest developments where influential members of the bureaucracy have started getting hefty raises, finance ministry sources insist that all such raises and additional perks, which do not have the sanction of the parliament are invalid. However, the provincial governments are of the view that the chief ministers could offer such benefits. They add that such benefits have been allowed even in the past.

 Initially, it was the Punjab government, which a couple of months back allowed Rs400,000 and Rs375,000 per month senior post allowance to chief secretary and IGP respectively.  Later the Registrar LHC was given Rs400,000 per month senior post allowance. Now the Registrars of other high courts and the Supreme Court and Federal Shariat Court would be expecting the same allowance.

Besides the hefty allowance, the Punjab government recently approved a post-retirement package for retired chief secretaries and IGPs. The package even in case of the death of serving or retired CS and IGP would continue for life for the families of these officials.

The package included services of driver and orderly for life; 800 free local telephone calls per month; 800 units of electricity per month; 25HMs of Gas per month; and 200 liters of petrol per month.

Through an executive order, the officials working in Punjab provincial secretariat were also allowed special allowance which will be 50% of their basic pay as frozen on June 30, 2011. Previously they were allowed 20% special allowance, which is also known as secretariat allowance.

At the federal level, the officers working in the federal secretariat are also entitled for 20% secretariat allowance. Now with the increase of this allowance to 50% in Punjab, the federal secretariat employees expect similar raise. In the past too, the 20% secretariat allowance was first allowed by the Punjab government. Later it was allowed by other governments including the centre.