Major action against illegal appointments in NA Secretariat starts

ISLAMABAD: A grade 22 secretary in the National Assembly has resigned and an additional secretary has been issued show-cause notice after having been found involved in alleged illegal appointments and promotions in the NA Secretariat.

Informed sources said that three posts of BS-22 in the NA Secretariat have also been abolished besides undoing several illegal appointments and promotions made in the Secretariat during the recent years. The number of BS-21 posts in the secretariat are also being slashed to 10 whereas the total number of sanctioned posts in the NA Secretariat are being cut from 1700 to 1500.

The sources said that it has been found that one of the six secretaries and an additional secretary in the National Assembly were found involved in alleged tampering of official record besides misguiding their superiors in cases relating to illegal appointments and promotions. It is said that the office of the Speaker as well as the Finance Committee of the National Assembly were also cheated and misguided by the two senior officers of the secretariat. The BS-22 officer, it is said, opted to resign when he was told that his case was being referred to the FIA. He was on contract, said the source.

In the case of a BS-21 officer, the authority concerned has issued a show-cause notice on serious allegations relating to illegal appointments and promotions. It is also disclosed that a complaint cell has been established by incumbent Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq in the Secretariat to review and proceed against all cases of illegal appointments, promotions and deputations.

Apart from what the NA speaker is presently doing, the NAB is looking into these cases of illegal appointments, promotions and deputations in the NA Secretariat. The News had reported on June 3rd that heads may roll in the National Assembly Secretariat as NA Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq and NAB are separately probing shady appointments made in the constitutional body during the last six years.

The NAB has already sought from the NA Secretariat details of appointments, promotions and absorption of deputationists made from 2018 to 2024. The NAB, in its recent letter, had sought the following details: a) state of sanctioned and held posts as of 01.01.2018 and created new posts thereafter (grade-wise). b) current state of sanctioned and held posts along with details of ongoing/under consideration recruitment process, if any. c) copies of letters forwarded to FPSC for recruitment against vacant posts and the posts subsequently withdrawn, if any. d) names of officers/officials (grade-wise) appointed on any terms and conditions, i.e. MP scales, regular, contract, ad-hoc, contingent etc., along with admissible salary/perks and privileges, justification and the rules governing such appointment. e) names of officers/officials (grade-wise) promoted, including out-of-turn promotion, during the said period along with promotion criteria, vacant posts at the time of promotion, relaxation of rules, if any, and the rules governing such promotions. f) names of officers/officials (grade-wise) appointed on a deputation basis along with names of their parent department, justification and the rules governing such appointment. g) names of officers/officials absorbed and appointed on a transfer basis along with names of their parent department, justification and the rules governing such appointment. h) objections raised by any relevant authority/AGPR, if any, concerning recruitments, and promotions. absorptions, along with the list of employees (grade-wise) appointed under such objections. i) names of officers/officials who proceeded on official foreign visits, showing the purpose, period of visit, expenditure incurred, and the source of financing such expenses along with the approval of competent authority in each case.