February 04, 2008	Monday	Muharram 25, 1429

LAHORE: Feb 3: The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) sent on Sunday a reference against former Punjab chief minister Pervaiz Elahi for “appointing” over 500 favourite retired officers in police, revenue, education and other departments to “secure and promote his financial and political interest and rig the Feb 18 elections”.

Addressing a press conference, party’s spokesman Muhammad Siddiqul Farooque said the former chief minister had made all these appointments in collusion with former principal secretary GM Sikandar, chief secretaries Hafiz Akhtar Randhawa, Kamran Rasool and Salman Siddique and other senior officials.

He also provided copies of the notifications of 45 officers and details about another 27, who were appointed in grade 17 to 21.

He charged Elahi with appointing the 500 officers to make billions of rupees from both the legal and the illegal property, business and to rig elections in favour of PML-Q leaders before and on the polling day under the supervision of Moonis Elahi, son of Pervaiz Elahi. Honest and dutiful officers resisting the dictation were victimised through these blue-eyed officers to become part of “loot and plunder”, he said.

Mr Farooque said he had already sent references against Mr Elahi and his “accomplices” to the chief election commissioner (CEC) and National Accountability Bureau (NAB) chairman. The crimes committed by Mr Elahi and his men fell within the purview of section-9 of the NAB Ordinance and they could be proceeded against under section-10, he said.

“I appeal to the CEC and the NAB chairman to revoke the notification of these 500 officers, seize their record and order the arrest of Mr Elahi and his accomplices so that they could not exercise their political and administrative influence to waste the record and go unpunished,” he said.

“I appeal to the CEC and NAB chairman to seize the passports and both moveable and immovable property of the main accused and his accomplices, freeze their bank accounts, put their names on the ECL and declare high alert at the country’s airports so that they cannot escape abroad to get them off the hook,” Mr Farooque said. He also urged them to disqualify Mr Elahi from contesting the elections.

He said the service period of some of these retried officers was unlawfully extended much before their retirement; some were re-appointed more than once; some were reappointed after they had reached 65 years of age; while some were appointed “till further order” thus depriving the serving officers of their right to promotion. He said serving officers also faced financial losses in term of increase in salary and other perks because of these appointments.

He said GM Sikandar furnished summaries of retired and near-retirement officers to the former chief minister for reappointments and extension in service period. These summaries were sent to the chief secretary and the services secretary for approval.

According to him, the section 13(1) of the Punjab Civil Servants Act says: “No retired civil servant shall be re-employed under government unless such re-employment is necessary in the public interest.”

The re-employment policy adopted by the Punjab government has further clarified, “Re-employment beyond the age of 58 (now 60) would not be treated as routine references and in each case it should be established as:

i) That Government Servant proposed to be re-employed beyond the age of superannuating were really irreplaceable either by the promotion or by any other methods prescribed in the recruitment rules.

ii) That all re-employment proposals are to be accompanied by a certificate that no promotion block would be involved as result of the re-employment.

He said that some of these officers were allegedly making millions in the property business of Mr Elahi, especially the sale and purchase of illegally occupied pieces of land.

He said the officers appointed in police and other administration departments were tasked with intimidating candidates, voters and polling staff in different constituencies to rig the elections in favour of Q-league candidates. He demanded all these appointments be declared null and void with a view to ensuring free, fair and transparent elections.

Here is the detail of appointees mentioned in the reference:

1. Chakwal District Coordination Officer (DCO) Babar Khan Nasir was given a two-year extension in service;

2. Former Gujrat DCO Saadat Ali had to retire on Jan 1, 2008, but he was given a two-year extension in service on Oct 17, 2007 by relaxing rules and was appointed cane commissioner;

3. Lahore Executive District Officer (EDO) of revenue Malik Khuda Bukhsh had to retire on Jan 12, 2008, but he was reappointed to the office for another two years on Oct 17, 2007;

4. Gujrat EDO (Revenue) Khawaja Riaz Ahmed was re-appointed to the post for another two years on Oct 17, 2007;

5. Board of Revenue Member and Settlement Secretary Faquir Muhammad Javed was reappointed after retirement for two years on April 14, 2006.

6. Shafaat Ahmed was reappointed as Community Uplift director general at the age of 68 despite the fact that no one above 65 can be appointed to any government post;

7. Shaukat Nawaz Goraya retired as sessions court judge about four years ago but he was reappointed as judicial member of the Chief Minister’s Inspection Team on Feb 22, 2007 till further orders;

8. Sardar Sher Afgan Muakal, brother of Hasan Akhtar Muakal, was appointed additional secretary at the Chief Minister’s Secretariat for two years;

9. Ghulam Fareed Langrial was district officer (revenue) but he was reappointed on Nov 6, 2007, by relaxing the rules;

10. Jarullah Rizvi, Chief Minister’s Inspection Team member, was reappointed on April 10, 2006 till further orders;

11. Ghulam Nabi Karori, EDO (Revenue), Okara, was reappointed to the post on Oct 9, 2006;

12. Nasrullah Lund, former EDO (Revenue), was reappointed as district officer of facilitation, Lahore City District Government, on Oct 27, 2006 after retirement;

13. EDO (Revenue), Bahawalnagar, Abdul Ghafoor Virk, brother of PML-Q MNA Saeed Virk, was reappointed to the post for two years on Nov 27, 2006;

14. Samiullah Abid, Rajanpur DCO, was transferred from Rajanpur to the Chief Minister’s Secretariat;

15. Col (retired) Zulfiqar Haider was reappointed for two years on Feb 2, 2007, as director of civil defence;

16. Former Khushab DCO Muhammad Tariq Bajwa was reappointed as secretary of Workers Welfare Board on Feb 8, 2007, for three years;

17. Anti-Corruption Director General Col (retd) Tariq Saadat was made Chief Minister’s Inspection Team member for the fourth time.

18. Muhammad Farooq Chaudhry was reappointed as member of the Chief Minister’s Inspection Team on Aug 26, 2006;

19. Hameed Ahmed Warraich was reappointed as Sargodha DCO on June 19, 2007 a day after his retirement till further orders;

20. Anti-Corruption Director General Brig (retired) Muhammad Aslam Ghuman was appointed as Punjab Seed Corporation managing director for three years on March 12, 2007;

21. Brig (retired) Amanullah Khan Niazi was made Chief Minister’s Inspection Team member on March 13, 2007 for one year;

22. Lt Col (retired) Aftab Hussain Awan was appointed Small Industries Corporation regional director for two years on March 12, 2007

23. A former DCO of Rahim Yar Khan was appointed as director general of the Community Uplift Programme, Faisalabad, on March 22, 2007 for two years. The office was created to adjust him for political and financial motives;

24. Sajjad Hussain Maral was appointed director of the Science Education Centre, Lahore, for two years on April 30, 2007;

25. Mian Bashir Ahmed was made managing director of the Punjab Health Foundation till further orders;

26. Justice (retired) Muhammad Akhtar Shabir was made member of the Punjab Public Service Commission till March 31, 2010, under an order on May 23, 2007;

26. Jhelum DEO (Revenue) Mumtaz Ali Khan was reappointed to the post for two years on June 2, 2007;

28. Pervez Khusro Malik was appointed as Community Uplift, Gujranwala, director general for two years after retirement;

29. Brig (retired) Muhammad Farooq Maan was given a one-year extension in service and was made chairman of the Punjab Cooperative Board for Liquidation on July 10, 2007;

30. Shahzad Hasan Pervez was made Punjab Public Service Commission member on Nov 6, 2007 till April 10, 2010;

31. Ikram Bari Cheema was reappointed for the second time on Sept 1, 2007, as Punjab Local Council Election Authority member;

32. Tariq Mehmood was made Punjab Public Service Commission member for two years a day after his retirement on Nov 6, 2007.

33. Kaman Ali Khan was made Punjab Environment Protection Agency director general for one year on June 30, 2007 through a notification.