The Alliance for Restoration of Democracy (ARD) on Monday filed an adjournment motion in the National Assembly Secretariat, seeking an in-house debate on a reported plan to induct the army personnel on key posts in customs, excise and sales tax.
Quoting a news item from an English newspaper, nine MNAs belonging to the PPPP and PML-N sought a debate on the issue by suspending the routine business of the National Assembly. It quoted the newspaper as saying "an agreement provides for market-based salaries to ranks from Havaldar upwards, besides the Major General, which has been confirmed by CBR".
The motion also reads that over 24 Havaldars, Subedars, Captains, Majors, Colonels and a Major General will be appointed at all the important stations in the country where Director General of Customs, Excise and Sales Tax offices existed for curbing frauds in tax and duty collection.
The motion has been submitted under Rule 92 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the National Assembly, 1992. The ARD leaders believed that this decision of the government amounts to usurping the rights of serving officers of "service cadre" which has caused grave concerns amongst the general public especially the government civil servants.
Chaudhry Aitzaz Ahsan, Syed Khurshid Shah, Raja Pervez Ashraf, Sherry Rehman, Naheed Khan, Nawab Yousuf Talpur, Imtiaz Safdar Warraich, Tehmina Daultana, and M. Pervez Malik have signed the motion.
Meanwhile, Pakistan People's Party (PPP) on Tuesday condemned the handing over of top tax jobs in the Central Board of Revenue (CBR) to military personnel, saying that it undermined civil bureaucracy and bred resentment, and demanded a review of the policy.
"Growing induction of serving and retired military officers in civil bureaucracy, educational institutions, power utilities, foreign missions, health institutions, telecom authorities and even in water and sewage boards and sports bodies has stifled the growth of civil bureaucracy, weakened institutions and bred resentment said PPP Spokesman Farhatullah Babar.
In a statement here, he said it had been decided to induct in the tax intelligence unit of the CBR about two-dozen military personnel ranging from havaldar to major general.
He said the country's highest office is already occupied by a serving general who has given himself indefinite extension. Some of the institutions headed by army personnel are the Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority (Erra), the Federal Public Service Commission(FPSC), the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), the PM's Inspection Commission, National Highway Authority (NHA), Civil Service Reforms Unit, Administrative Staff Colleges, Federal Employees Benevolent and Group Insurance Fund, National Telecommunications Corporation, Special Communications Organisation, Civil Defence, Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA), National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra), Pakistan Agricultural Storage and Supply Corporation, Pakistan Steel Mill (PSM), Karachi Port Trust (KPT), Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), Secretary Defence, Port Qasim Authority (PQA), National Fertiliser Corporation (NFC), National Institute of Science and Technical Education, Military Lands and cantonment department, Survey of Pakistan, Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (Suparco), National Institute of Health, Institute of Regional Studies in Islamabad besides the heads of various national universities and sports bodies and federations.
He said that retired generals have also been posted ambassadors in foreign missions in Turkey, Thailand, Brunei, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Riyadh, Tripoli, and Washington, said Farhatullah Babar.
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