ISLAMABAD - The federal government has started scrutiny of Grade-20 to Grade-22 of­ficers of different service groups who have completed 20 years in govern­ment service and faced any misconduct during their career, The Nation learnt reliably.

In order to improve efficiency and performance of Civil Service, ‘Civ­il Servants (Directory retirement from Service) Rules 2020’ were notified on 15-04-2020 after the approval of the Prime Minister.

The Board for scrutiny of officers of Grade 20-22 is headed by Chairman FPSC while Secretary Establishment, Secretary Cabinet, Secretary Finance and Secretary Law are its permanent members.

According to available documents with The Nation, the Establishment Di­vision has sent a list of 565 officers in­cluding 46 officers of Grade-22, 92 of­ficers of Grade-21 and 78 officers of Grade-20 of Pakistan Administrative Service (PAS). Similarly, 12 officer of Grade-22, 53 officers of Grade-21 and 140 officers of Grade-20 of Police Ser­vice of Pakistan (PSP) and 9 officers of Grade-22, 38 officers of Grade-21 and 97 officers of Grade-20 of Secretariat Group to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) for getting their details that any officer has undergone VR, PB, inquiry, investigation or trail.

The criteria for retirement includes average Performance Evaluation Re­ports (PERs) or adverse remarks in three or more PERs from three differ­ent officers, twice recommended for supersession by Promotion Boards, guilty of corruption or has entered into plea bargain or voluntary return with NAB etc or has been placed on more than one occasion in category C by promotion Boards.

The procedure for directory retire­ment is also clearly specified for man­datory review of all officers/officials upon completion of 20 years of ser­vice. The cases will be referred to the Retirement Boards and Committees after which their decision will be fol­lowed through. A show cause notice will be issued to the civil servant rec­ommended for retirement and he/she will be provided an opportunity of per­sonal hearing under ‘Civil Servants Ap­peal Rules 1977’. After completing the prescribed procedure, if the competent authority is satisfied that further re­tention in service is not in public inter­est, officer/officials will be retired with pension and other retirement benefits.

Awais Manzur Sumra, Additional Secre­tary Establishment Division, wrote a let­ter to Director General Operations NAB last week with the subject, “Processing of cases under Civil Servants (Directory Re­tirement from Services) Rules, 2020.

He said, “I am directed to refer to the subject noted above and to say that Es­tablishment Division is shortly conven­ing a meeting of the Directory Retire­ment Board to consider cases of BS-20, BS-21 and BS-22 officers of Pakistan Administrative Service (PAS), Police Service of Pakistan(PSP) and Secretar­iat Group (SG) under the subject Rules. It is requested that names of the of­ficer(s) who are undergoing any in­quiry, investigation or prosecution by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) or have undergone Voluntary Return may kindly be indicated along with relevant details (including date of commencement of such inquiry, inves­tigation or trail) so that the Board is ap­prised accordingly, officers on the lists have been convicted of have entered into Plea bargain may also please be in­dicated. The matter is most urgent and it is requested to please provide the re­quired information on priority basis.”