ISLAMABAD: The compulsory/forced retirement of dozens of senior bureaucrats is likely to be put on hold at least for the time being as the establishment division has expressed willingness to review the cases recommended for `directory retirement` in the light of restraining orders of superior courts. The issue was taken up by the Senate Standing Committee on Cabinet Division. The committee examined the recent scrutiny of senior bureaucrats under the Civil Servants Directory Retirement Rules, 2020. The government has under these rules constituted the Director Retirement Board (DRB) to review cases of civil servants of BS-20 and above. The Retirement Board in its meetings on April 19, 21 and 22 reviewed cases of 1,383 civil servants in BS-20 and above. However, according to the documents of the establishment division, `recommendations of DRB have not yet been finalised` Establishment Secretary Afzal Latif briefed the Senate committee on this issue as well as structure of the establishment division. He consumed most of the time on introduction of the establishment division and his attached departments and talked about `forced`retirement for less than 10 minutes during an hour-long briefing. The secretary also appeared to be unaware about the litigation against the DRB`s proceeding. Several officers likely to be hit by the Directory Retirement Rules have filed petitions before the high courts and the Supreme Court and some of them have even obtained restraining orders. When committee chairman Ahmad, who is also a retired bureaucrat, asked Mr Latif how the DRB would proceed while the matter was sub judice, the latter replied that he was not aware of any restraining order issued by any court against the `directory retirement`. Mr Ahmad handed over the secretary an order issued by the Supreme Court along with the press clipping since the order was widely published in the national media.He told the establishment secretary that the apex court while granting leave to appeal had also issued a restraining order.
