PESHAWAR, May 21: Only a week before his retirement after spending 32 long years in government service, a senior official of Civil Secretariat, Fata, has challenged his date of birth in a local court.

Director (irrigation and hydel power), Fata, Bakhtiar Gul, who was to retire on May 3, filed a lawsuit in the court of the civil judge on April 26 to seek change in his date of birth so that he could continue in the office.

Through his lawyer, he claimed that his actual date of birth was December 4, 1952, but in the record of the defendants, including Fata Secretariat, it had been incorrectly mentioned as May 4, 1952.

He pleaded that his date of birth be corrected in order to extend his service until December 2012.

The judge ordered the defendants to maintain status quo in the case.

Since the issuance of the order, Mr Gul has been holding the office despite attaining the age of superannuation on May 3. Nine hearings into the case have taken place so far.

The defendants in the case are Fata Secretariat through its additional chief secretary, administration infrastructure and coordination department, secretary administration infrastructure, finance department of Fata Secretariat, and accountant general of Pakistan (revenue), sub-office Peshawar.

The move by Mr Gul only a few days before his retirement has surprised many in the Civil Secretariat, Fata.

Under the Government of NWFP Services and General Administration Department (Regulation Wing), February 1987 every civil servant is required to declare the date of his birth by the Christian era with as far as possible along with conformity/conclusive evidence such as matriculation certificate, municipal birth certificate etc.

According to the rules, the date of birth of a civil servant as recorded in his service documents remain constantly in his knowledge. This is reiterated in his Annual Confidential Reports (ACRs) and seniority lists issued by the department from time to time.

Interestingly, every civil servant has to verify his/her particulars including date of birth in ACRs, which are maintained annually.

However, Mr Gul never pointed out incorrect date of birth.