PAKISTAN
Pakistan’s Ministry of Finance has been directed to revise the retirement age for Public Servants — keeping competent officials on longer and forcing early retirement on to “dead wood”.
Under the current structure, the superannuation age for all PS employees is 60 years old.
However, Prime Minister, Imran Khan (pictured) believes there is room for increasing that by at least three years given the average life expectancy of 69 years.
Mr Khan suggested that a new structure for the civilian Public Service could imitate that of the military, where an officer or soldier has to retire if he or she fails to get promotion, based on performance.
The Prime Minister wants to evaluate the legal, financial and administrative implications of increasing the age of retirement and early retirement after due consultation with concerned Departments.
Observers said that, while his new plan would transform the bureaucratic structure of Pakistan, the proposal of an early retirement of dead wood was likely to face criticism from within the Public Service and among Opposition parties in Parliament.
A change in retirement age would require an amendment to the Civil Service Act and Mr Khan’s Government does not have a majority in the Upper House of the Parliament to get the legislation passed.
Opponents of raising the superannuation age said the move would increase unemployment among the growing young population.
Islamabad, 16 June 2019
