ISLAMABAD, Sept 22: The federal government has restricted government employees from working with private firms, donor agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) by availing long leave from the government service.

Official sources told Dawn that the establishment division has issued a formal notification to this effect following a number of reports that this practice was resulting in conflict of interests and compromising public interest.

All the ministries, and attached government departments, have also been directed to ensure that those currently working with private firms, NGOs and donors did not return to posts they were holding before going on leave or to posts where their current private jobs could have any relevance.

The sources said that a couple of specific cases have also been referred to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to investigate whether some senior officers had really benefited, materially or financially, in some contracts that had caused losses to the public exchequer.

In some cases, the officers got leave from government service and joined the same ministry as consultants of the donor agencies on six to 10 times higher salaries they were getting as government officer.

These sources said that a number of government officers, primarily from ministries like environment, finance and economic affairs, commerce, petroleum, power, health and law were frequently hired on high salaries by private companies, NGOs and donor agencies.

These officers, said the sources, used to entertain private requests at the time of project preparation and agreement signing, and then joined private organizations on the same project or in the same field by securing long leave from government service.

Most of them rejoined their parent ministries and departments after the completion of leave or extended the leave period to further facilitate their private masters that resulted in some cases embarrassing situation for the government, sources said.

The very fact that a government officer opted for a private job in the field that he/she was supposed to critically asses and scrutinize in the government interest, violated the Eastacode rules and principles of fair play and caused clear clash of interest between the government and private institutions.

One aspect, said the sources, was that by employing themselves in the relevant private field the officers obviously provided government information to the private sector which was otherwise required to be kept secret from donors, NGOs or the companies and a sacred trust given by the state was compromised.

Secondly, they used their influence on their colleagues and juniors while serving in the private sector to access government secrets well in advance and manipulated the government decisions in favour of their private masters instead of protecting the public interest.

A senior government official quoted the often violated rule that a government servant could not take part in politics within two years of his retirement from service, was based on the principle that this could compromise the state information he/she could have come across by virtue of holding a senior government job before retirement.