Riding into the sunset

The decision to extend the retirement age of government servants by three years may be good news for some but bad news for others. While the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government accepted the decision without demur, the Punjab government seems to be dragging its feet on it. Excited over the decision – if enforced – would be bureaucrats occupying the top slots of the officialdom.

The extension has its implications. Reportedly, while the extension policy will give three extra years to serving government officials on the one hand, it will send others packing home prematurely on the other. Such people had better watch out. Luckily nobody thinks he’s a dead wood. It’s for his superiors to judge him so.

A similar move was made through the sixth amendment in the constitution during Zulfikar Bhutto’s time. It empowered the government to extend the term of the chief justices of the Supreme Court and high courts beyond the age of retirement. It was believed the amendment was made to suit the then chief justice of the Supreme Court who was Bhutto’s close friend. Such unwise precedents once set go on to occupy the history books. Hence this current proposed extension policy will create unnecessary controversy.

But why don’t the officials, especially the senior bureaucrats, judges and ambassadors ride into the sunset gracefully? Sixty years age has often been likened to the ‘youth of old age’. It’s a time when one is energetic enough to partake in sports, play tennis, golf, take long walks, meditate on the quiet or socialise.

A typical scene at the Model Town walking track is one of animated political discussions among groups of mainly retired bureaucrats. They’re loud enough for others to overhear the inside stories they reveal. They’re a happy gaggle who nostalgically weave stories of their heydays.

But why don’t senior government officers reconcile with retirement willingly after playing a long and meritorious inning? Retirement is the beginning of a relaxed life away from the routine of attending office in time, attending lengthy and often unproductive meetings over endless cups of tea, and taking decisions sometimes against one’s will. It’s also the time to play with one’s grandchildren. Will Durant wrote in one of his articles how he was moved when his grandson sitting in his lap said, “Grandpa, I know you’ll love me even when you’re dead.”

Lately, the pension amount has increased manifold. A retired judge of the high court likely takes home more than half a million rupees as pension. At this stage, one’s children are usually settled, one has a house to live in, and one’s medical expenses are paid by the state. It’s the mental transition from being somebody to being a non-entity that the senior government officers find hard to reconcile with. How would they boss around at home in the presence of another boss? But that’s another story.

Nevertheless, three years extension in service of the government employees will give them less satisfaction than the feelings of frustration and heartburn it will cause to young men and women aspiring to enter the government cadres. As things stand, the economy is slow in picking up and employment situation remains dismal.

According to statistics, sixty percent of the population is below the age of thirty years. Therefore, a progressive government should be more alive to the needs of its younger generation and provide it a pitch to play on than cater to those who have already taken their turns.

The writer is a freelance columnist based in Lahore.

Email: pinecity@gmail.com