Ex-army officers train bureaucrats

Ex-army officers train bureaucrats
By Azaz Syed: Daily Times, June 29, 2007

ISLAMABAD: Top training institutions for bureaucrats are headed by retired military officers, Daily Times has learnt.

A report has been submitted to the National Assembly Secretariat in reply to a question raised by MNA Dr Farid Ahmed Piracha. It has disclosed that Maj Gen (r) Sikandar Shami is the director general of the Civil Services Academy (SCA), Lahore. The SCA is a unique academy where all newly selected bureaucrats are trained.

National Institute of Public Administration (NIPA), where officers get training before being promoted from grade 18 to 19, is run by retired army officers, says the report.

Maj Gen (r) Khalid Naeem is the director general of NIPA Karachi, Air Commodore (r) Shaukat Haider director general of NIPA Quetta and Maj Gen (r) Akbar Saeed Awan is the director general of NIPA Peshawar.

Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC) has also been run by retired military generals over the years. Currently, Lt Gen (r) Shahid Hamid is its chairman. The retired military officer is also the chairman of the Central Selection Board (CSB), which selects the officers of grade 19, 20 and 21 and recommends the promotion into grade 22.

Pakistan Administrative Staff College, Lahore, is the top training institute for the officers waiting for promotion from grade 21 to grade 22. This institution is headed by Lt Gen (r) Javed Hassan according to the report.