ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Capital Administration and Development Division (CADD) has directed its ancillary organisations to provide the details of deputationists who have been absorbed into the departments.

The letter has caused concern among such officials, the majority of whom moved permanently to the capital from cities across the country. Available with Dawn, the letter requests all departments to provide the details of employees working under their administrative control who were not appointed on the regular basis – by transfer or deputation, etc.

The organisations have been asked to provide details including the employees’ designations, their grade at the time of absorption, the date on which they joined their present department and their date of absorption.

The departments in question include the National Council for Social Welfare, the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims), the Capital Development Authority (CDA), the Private Educational Regulatory Authority, the National Trust for the Disabled, the Federal Directorate of Education, Polyclinic, the National Institute for Rehabilitation Medicine (NIRM), the Department of Tourists Services, the Islamabad Wildlife Management Board on others. They have been informed that the matter should be treated as a top priority.

The issue of deputationists and inducted employees was raised in Sindh under the PPP government, when some police officials went to the Sindh High Court against the induction of favoured officers and claimed that the practice damaged seniority.

The matter eventually reached the Supreme Court, which directed all officials who came after 1994 to return to their parent departments.

The matter came to the fore again in 2016, when the SC asked the CDA if it had the power to absorb officials and the CDA decided to send all such officials back to their parent departments. After this, a number of other departments, including the National Assembly, police and National Food Security, also began the process to send back their inducted employees.

A Polyclinic doctor who asked not to be named said that while some officials were sent back, many could not be repatriated.

“There are many officials in Polyclinic, Pims and NIRM, who were once absorbed but could not be repatriated despite SC orders. However, lists are once again being prepared, which has panicked officials,” he said.

A doctor from Pims said that doctors who have been absorbed have worked in the city for decades, and do not want to return.

“We came to Islamabad decades ago and have moved our children here and enrolled them in schools; most of the doctors have even sold their property in their native areas and shifted to Islamabad for good. So how can we go back to those areas, where no one know us and we do not even have accommodations,” he asked.

Published in Dawn, March 25th, 2018