Special raises for special groups create special classes in bureaucracy

ISLAMABAD: Special pay raises given to special groups of government servants from time to time through executive orders have completely distorted the unified pay scale system, introduced for the civil bureaucracy in 1973 through administrative reforms.

By passing the legislature, the repeated interventions from the executive have created such absurd islands of exceptions that today a federal secretary in BS-22 draws less salary even than a BS-20 secretary serving in Punjab and KP governments.

In terms of salary and perks, the Punjab and KP secretariats have become far more attractive for those serving in the federal secretariat. This strange distortion has been created by the 150 percent raise given to a few selected classes of bureaucracy in the name of “Executive Allowance” initially by KP and then recently by the Punjab.

Four months after the highly controversial raise given to political elite of Punjab inviting the ire the prime minister, the Buzdar government had raised by 150 percent the running basic salary of provincial bureaucratic elite without consulting the provincial assembly.

This highly discriminatory raise was linked with selected almost 1,700 posts in the name of “Executive Allowance”. The beneficiaries predominately belong to ex-DMG (now Pakistan Administrative Service) and ex-PCS (presently called Provincial Management Service). This phenomenal raise was approved by the provincial cabinet and notified on July 29 within weeks after the Punjab Assembly passed the provincial budget.

The posts earmarked for the “Executive Allowance” include almost all posts of provincial secretaries, additional chief secretaries, members of Board of Revenue, additional secretaries, deputy secretaries, section officers, commissioners, deputy commissioners, assistant commissioners, revenue officials, special judicial magistrates. However, no below grade 17 officer in these departments/offices was allowed this raise.

This raise in Punjab had upset a PM’s key aide, who according to sources had told the prime minister that the Punjab had further distorted the unified pay scale system. It is said that the aide is upset how, with this distorted system, the federal government could attract bureaucracy whereas matching the Punjab like raise would mean adding financial burden on the government that is already facing serious financial crunch.

The Punjab government sources, however, say that they followed KP, which early last year had granted 150 percent raise to all PAS, PMS (PCS) officers in the name of “Executive Allowance”.

The PAS, PCS officers, who are the main beneficiary of these special raises, point out why the government servants working in Supreme Court, High Courts, FBR, FIA, Police etc draw more salaries. It is also said what they were drawing before the 150 percent raise was not enough to make both ends meet.

However, in reality the “Executive Allowance” given by Punjab and KP becomes controversial because it has created a few more island of exception where some government servants get more salary, some get less despite being in the same grades and even in spite of getting into the government service through the same system.

While the predominant majority of the government servants are at a disadvantaged position and only a small minority has been given special treatment, raising the salary of all government servants by 150 percent would raise the salary bill of the government more than double.

According to a senior authority, associated with the government’s reform work, instead of giving huge raises in salaries to selected “classes” there is a need to evolve a system of performance based salary raise. The one, who serves better, should get better salary than others.

Through the 1973 Administrative Reforms, all the services and cadres were merged into a single unified graded structure with equality of opportunity for all who enter the service at any stage based on the required professional and specialised competence necessary for each job. All ‘classes' among government servants were abolished and replaced by a single unified graded structure.

The Article 240 of the Constitution envisages that condition of service of persons in the service of Pakistan shall be determined by Parliament. Under this Article, the terms and conditions of service of persons in the service of Pakistan shall be determined- (a) in the services of the Federation, posts in connection with the affairs of the Federation and All Pakistan Services, by or under Act of (Majlis-e-Shoora(Parliament)); and (b) in the case of the services of a Province and post in connection with the affairs of a Province, by or under Act of the Provincial Assembly.

However, none of the provinces had bothered to refer the case to Parliament or the respective provincial assemblies.