ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday directed the Establishment Division to implement new retirement rules for government employees under which they can be retired even before reaching 60 years of age (superannuation) on the basis of their performance.

According to the Prime Minister Office, Mr Khan also directed the Establishment Division to send the new rules to all ministries and divisions so that these could be implemented.

He also directed all ministries to compile lists of their employees along with their length of service and performance.

New retirement rules, which were notified on April 15, are called the Civil Servants (Directory Retirement from Service) Rules, 2020.

It is believed that the new rules will be opposed by the government employees’ unions and may be challenged in the court of law because the employees believe that the rules have abolished protection of 60 years in service.

Under new system, a govt employee can be retired before attaining 60 years of age on the basis of performance

Some employees, who did not want to be named, told Dawn that the new rules had been prepared under guidelines given by the International Monetary Fund.

They said that after some time, all senior employees would be retired on the pretext of “unsatisfactory” performance and then the facility of gratuity would also be withdrawn.

No civil servant will be recommended for directory retirement under these rules, unless any one or more of the following conditions is/are fulfilled in his/her case:

“If an employee has earned average performance evaluation reports (PERs) or adverse remarks have been recorded in three or more PERs from three different officers, for a period not less than six months and have attained finality after appeal there against if any.

“If the employee has been twice recommended for supersession by the Central Selection Board (CSB), Departmental Selection Board (DSB) or Departmental Promotion Committee (DPC), as the case may be, or twice not recommended for promotion by the High Powered Selection Board and such recommendations have been approved by the appointing authority and the matter has attained finality.

“Or the employee has been found guilty of corruption or has entered into plea bargain or voluntary return with National Accountability Bureau or any other investigating agency.”

The employee will also be retired if he/she has been on more than one occasion placed in category ‘C’ by the CSB, DSB or DPC under the Civil Servants Promotion (BPS-18 to BPS-21) Rules, 2019 or the employee’s conduct is unbecoming.

Procedure for directory retirement

Each division, department or office will maintain a list of civil servants who have completed service along with their complete service record.

The retirement board and retirement committees will review performance of all civil servants.

Under sub-rule(1), prior to retirement at the age of superannuation or exercising the option of premature retirement, cases of civil servants will be referred by the secretary or cadre administrator concerned to the relevant retirement board or retirement committees if it is determined that grounds for directory retirement as specified in rule 5 have become applicable.

Under the rules, if the competent authority, after examining the recommendations of the retirement board or retirement committees and other record placed before it, agrees with the recommendations for directory retirement of a civil servant, he shall issue a show-cause notice to the civil servant concerned informing him of the grounds on which it is proposed to make the directive for directory retirement and, will provide him the opportunity of personal hearing if so requested by the civil servant concerned. In the cases where the prime minister is the competent authority, he may designate a BS-22 officer for granting personal hearing to the civil servant(s) on his behalf.

On receipt of reply of the civil servant and after giving him the opportunity of personal hearing, when the competent authority is satisfied that further retention in service of the civil servant is not in public interest, the competent authority will pass an order for directory retirement.

A civil servant against whom an order for directory retirement is passed by the competent authority will be eligible for pension or other retirement benefits as the competent authority may direct.

A civil servant against whom an order for directory retirement is passed by the competent authority will have the right of appeal or review in accordance with the Civil Servants (Appeal) Rules, 1977.

Published in Dawn, April 30th, 2020