Govt set to appoint 284 non-cadre officers in OMG

ISLAMABAD: The government has approved a contentious policy to induct 284 non-cadre officers on cadre positions in the Office Management Group (OMG), sending a wave of resentment among career officers who joined the civil service through competitive process.
According to official sources, a summary in this regard was approved on March 18, two days after the dissolution of the National Assembly to accommodate the loyalists working on deputation as section officers in various departments in the Federal Secretariat.
The move has created unrest among 275 regular officers of the OMG group, who believe their rights have been violated through the politically-motivated policy just weeks ahead of the elections.
These officers have threatened to challenge the controversial policy in the Supreme Court if an official notification to this effect was issued. According to sources, the 284 beneficiaries, including ex-cadre officers, teachers, veterinary doctors, and officials from autonomous bodies, will be given acting charge as section officers in the Federal Secretariat and subsequently inducted on a regular basis in the OMG.
“This is against merit and justice. We have joined the civil service through the CSS and now we are being made to work under political appointees who never appeared in competitive exams,” said a civil servant requesting anonymity.
He said many regular officers would be deprived of their right to promotion if the ex-cadre officers were appointed as their seniors.
According to documents, the original summary was forwarded by former federal minister Syed Khursheed Shah, who was also the chairman of the Cabinet sub-committee on Regularisation of the Contract Employees, on February 27, 2013. The minister had proposed to regularise officers from only smaller provinces but the Establishment Division objected to the proposal, terming it discriminatory. A fresh draft was prepared and 166 officers from the Punjab were also included among the beneficiaries.
According to the Civil Servants Act 1973, officers in the OMG can only be appointed through competitive exams (two-thirds of the total) or promotional exams (one-thirds of the total). However, through an amendment in 1985, 10 percent quota was allocated for appointment by transfer/induction.
But the appointment of 284 in one go, as approved by the government, will violate the 10 percent quota rule as there are 750 duty posts in OMG and only 75 can be filled through appointment by transfer under this rule.
The government has cited an acute shortage of civil servants as the reason for this relaxation of rules. However, OMG officers are of the view that the shortage can be overcome through induction via CSS exams and promotional exams.
The News