ISLAMABAD, Jan 26 A grade 21 civilian post of the military lands and cantonments group has been held by army generals for about 11 years.

The post of MLC director general is purely civilian, but a serving major general has been appointed on it. Army captured the post after former president Pervez Musharraf's 1999 coup. Since then, the post has been doled out to serving majors general in violation of civil service rules.

Maj-Gen Javed Iqbal was the first army officer to be appointed on the coveted post. After his retirement, the post went to Maj-Gen Mohammad Javed, followed by Maj-Gen Nusrat Naeem and then Maj-Gen Wajahat Ali Muftee. Maj-Gen Syed Ithar Hussain Shah is currently holding the post.

The last civilian MLC chief was Qazi Naeem Ahmad.

“It is a purely civilian post of the occupational group of military lands and cantonments,” Amir Ali, Director General (Central Superior Services) at the Federal Public Service Commission, said. He refused to comment on whether there existed any rules under which a serving army officer could be appointed on the post.

Gen (retd) Musharraf had appointed hundreds of serving and retired army officers in almost all ministries and departments. After taking over as army chief, Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani had called back all army personnel from 23 departments.

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani had also announced that civilian posts would be reclaimed from army officers.

An order was issued asking army officers to withdraw from regular civilian posts. But the order was not applied to the military lands and cantonments department.

The situation has caused resentment among officers of the MLC group. “There is only one grade 21 post in the group and its occupation by the army is affecting our career,” an MLC officer said.