MUZAFFARABAD, June 7: At the cost of taxpayers, Prime Minister Sardar Attique Ahmed Khan has ordered provision of certain facilities to all those retired federal government officers who have ever served in Azad Kashmir (AJK) as chief secretary.

“The government has been pleased to order that the facilities approved for the chief secretaries to the AJK government, dated 15-06-2006, shall continue and apply to all the chief secretaries who have served in AJK, irrespective of the fact whether they retired as chief secretary AJK or thereafter,” said a notification issued by the Services and General Administration Department (S&GAD) here the other day.

But when asked to comment, AJK Finance Minister Abdul Rashid Abbasi said he was not aware if any such notification had been issued.

According to the June 2006 notification, which was issued when the region was going through the hubbub of electioneering in the aftermath of devastating October 2005 earthquake, “the government was pleased to grant exemption to the retired chief secretaries from taking out licences for possession of up to one prohibited bore and two non-prohibited bore weapons, free access to all government guesthouses, rest houses, circuit houses in AJK and Kashmir House Islamabad, pick up and drop facility at Islamabad airport with protocol coverage, provision of a staff car for a maximum of three days during stay at Kashmir House Islamabad, services of a driver and a cook, to be appointed by the beneficiary by himself, for lifetime.”

Although the notification had drawn flak for the reason that being a federal government officer, the AJK chief secretary was not a liability of the cash strapped AJK government, the finance department had granted “financial concurrence” from March 1, 2007 for creation of six each posts of drivers and cooks in BPS-4 and BPS-1, respectively, for the former chief secretaries.

During posting in AJK, a chief secretary draws salary from the federal exchequer while accommodation, vehicles and other facilities are arranged and sponsored by the state government.

In May 2008, the S&GAD had sought a decision from Prime Minister Attique regarding “revocation or protraction” of the notification after withdrawal of “financial concurrence” to the new posts by the finance department.

However, the move was shelved after opposition by then chief secretary Javed Majeed.

Ironically, the prime minister had seconded the opinion of his confidant chief secretary.The fresh notification, according to sources, was issued to remove the “ambiguities” in the June 2006 document to extend these benefits to all chief secretaries who had either retired during their posting in AJK or had held this office prior to their retirement from any other position in Pakistan.

But even the fresh notification had deliberately overlooked another important issue regarding the place of permanent residence of former AJK chief secretaries after their retirement from the Central Superior Services.

Speaking on the condition of anonymity, an official of the finance department told Dawn that they would have to arrange funds for providing the facilities to at least eight former AJK chief secretaries.

Of nearly 39 chief secretaries who served in AJK after 1947, the only one who rose to this position from the AJK services was Abdul Haq Suharwardy (1969-71), while the rest were CSP officers.