ISLAMABAD: The ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) appears to be using the smoke screen offered by the ongoing protests in Islamabad to appease military authorities.

Maj-Gen Mazhar Saleem Khan, the current director general (DG) of the department of Military Lands and Cantonments (ML&C) who was supposed to retire on August 24, has been granted an extension in service by military authorities with the consent of the ruling party. He will now retain administrative control over 42 cantonment boards across the country.

Sources in the defence ministry told Dawn that the government was clear at the time of Maj-Gen Khan’s appointment that this post was to be handed over to a civilian official upon his retirement.

The appointment letter, issued in July of last year, stated: “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”.

However, that resolve seemed to be ignored as the army official was asked to continue as head of the ML&C. However, no notification has been issued in this regard due to a restraining order issued by the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on the matter.

Govt gives Maj-Gen Mazhar Khan extension despite commitment to return the post to civilian control

Defence Ministry Spokesperson Narita Farhan confirmed that Maj-Gen Khan had been awarded a one year extension, adding that it was the prerogative of the army chief to retain any officer for “administrative and operational” reasons.

Colonel (retired) Tahir Mehmood, a former officer of the Judge Advocate General (JAG) branch of the army told Dawn that under section 255-B of the Pakistan Army Act (PAA), the chief of army staff (COAS) could issue extensions to any serving for ‘operational reasons’ for up to a period of one year.

Sources in the ML&C, however, maintain that while this extension may be kosher, the COAS did not have the authority to extend such an officer’s service on a civilian post.

This is why ML&C officials aggrieved by this extension are looking to challenge the move in court.

Sources say that despite being a cadre post, the office of DG ML&C was ‘occupied’ by uniformed officers since former general Pervez Musharraf seized power in 1999. It continued to go to serving military officers even after the restoration of democracy in 2008.

Maj-Gen Mazhar Saleem Khan is the seventh military officer to hold this post.

Sources say the extension was granted due to ongoing litigation over who should get the position of DG ML&C. In June of this year, 48 ML&C officers had moved the IHC against the consecutive appointments of uniformed officers to the post, which is otherwise a civilian position.

On July 1, IHC Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui issued a restraining order directing the federal government not appoint any military official on the position until the disposal of the petition.

Sources say that due to the post’s strategic importance, military authorities are loathe to relinquish this position and seek to retain it in order to keep control over the administrative affairs of over 40 cantonment boards across the country.

Following the IHC order, the government was “between a rock and a hard place” as it could not afford to go against the court order, but could neither appoint any civilian to the post, sources said.

They said that an extension for Maj-Gen Khan was the only way out that would save them from the wrath of both the court and the army.

Historically, the post of DG ML&C is grade 21 civilian position and had been filled by ML&C officers, who have been appointed through the competitive Central Superior Services (CSS) exams, since 1924.

Published in Dawn, September 6th , 2014