RAWALPINDI: The civilian officers in the Military Lands and Cantonments (ML&C) department have warned that they would resist if the military authorities tried to retain the post of the director general.

The director general is a Basic Pay Scale (BPS) 21 civilian post and since 1924 had been filled by officers of the Military Lands and Cantonments (ML&C) Group, who are appointed through the Central Superior Services (CSS) exams.

However, after the military takeover by Pervez Musharraf in 1999, the post has been occupied by military officers. Even after the restoration of democracy in 2008, the matter was not resolved.

Before the retirement of the incumbent director general on May 24, the civilian officers held a meeting a few days back.

The meeting of the Military Lands and Cantonment Officers Association was presided over by Sheikh Shahid Bashir, the regional director ML&C. The association’s secretary general, Rana Manzoor Ahmed Khan, and others were also present.

The meeting decided to write to the defence secretary to inform him that if a serving general was appointed on the post again, it would be a violation of the Supreme Court judgment dated June 12, 2013.

“The apex court clearly stated that no non-civil servant can be transferred and appointed by the way of deputation to any cadre,” one of the officials who attended the meeting told Dawn.

In its judgment the court declared illegal the “absorption of a non-civil servant conferring on him status of a civil servant and likewise absorption of a civil servant from non cadre post to cadre post without undertaking the competitive process under the recruitment rules.”

“Yes, the military authorities will retain the post after the retirement of the incumbent director general in May. The officers association at a meeting decided to take up the matter with the defence secretary,” said Rana Manzoor Ahmed Khan when contacted about the details of the meeting.

Another senior official added: “According to rules, the post of civilian cadre should be returned to the civilian officers as the morale of the officers of the ML&C is adversely affected because it blocked their promotion.”

The department was founded as the custodian of the state land under the use of armed forces.

It is bound to ensure that the lands are properly used by the army only for defence purposes.

Another reason to form the department as a civilian-controlled institution was that it was mandated to control the affairs of the civilian population living in the cantonment areas and to prevent their direct handling by the military authorities.

According to a senior official of the ML&C, the last civilian director general was Abdul Naeem Khan, who worked from October 1997 to October 1999.

After the military coup, Gen Musharraf appointed Major General Javed Iqbal as the director general of the ML&C who served till 2002. After his retirement, Major General Mohammad Javed occupied the post till 2006.

He was followed by Major General Nusrat Naeem who headed the department till 2007, while Major General Wajahat Ali Mufti remained the DG till 2009.

Major General Athar Hussain Shah was appointed the DG in 2009 for two years who was succeeded by Major General Tahir Masood.

On July 18, 2013, Major General Masood was transferred to the GHQ and Major General Mazhar Saleem Khan was appointed the new director general.

On July 18, 2013, while approving the appointment of Gen Masood, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif made it clear that after the expiry of his tenure the post would go back to the civilian cadre.

A letter issued to the defence ministry from the Prime Minister Secretariat stated: “The prime minister is pleased to approve the appointment of Major General Mazhar Saleem Khan as the director general ML&C for a period of two years.”

It added: “The prime minister is further pleased to direct that since the post is a BPS-21 cadre position of ML&C group, it should, in future, be filled in accordance with procedure laid down in the Establishment Division’s rule for constitution of ML&C Group.”

When Dawn contacted the ML&C director general for his version on the apprehensions of the civilian officers, he said he was busy at the moment.