KP legislates to reverse increase in retirement age

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly on Tuesday passed the proposed Civil Servants (Amendment) Act, 2021, to reverse a three years increase in the age of superannuation for the provincial government's employees.

The provincial government had increased the retirement age to 63 years in the 2019-20 budget claiming the move will save Rs20 billion every year. However, it was declared unconstitutional by the Peshawar High Court. The government took the matter to the Supreme Court, which set aside the high court's judgment and remanded the petition back to it in Jan for fresh decision.

However, the provincial government had a change of heart and decided in March to reverse the increase in the upper retirement age limit. During the session chaired by Speaker Mushtaq Ahmad Ghani, law minister Akbar Ayub Khan said the government reversed its earlier decision after two major employers, including police and education departments, had opposed the increase in retirement age. He also said that the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf's Youth Wing also opposed the move.

"The police department was of the view that increase in retirement age limit did not suit the force," he said, adding that the education department also expressed reservations about it. The amended bill says: "Any civil servant, who has completed sixty (60) years of age but is not retired from service, by virtue of or in pursuance of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Civil Servants (Amendment) Act, 2019, shall be deemed to have been retired from service from the date when such Civil Servant has completed sixty (60) years of age."

With the passage of the amended bill, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Civil Servants (Amendment) Ordinance, 2021, also stood repealed. The assembly also passed the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Letters of Administration and Succession Certificates Bill, 2021, meant for the introduction of an efficacious and speedy mechanism to issue the letters of administration and succession certificates.

Earlier, the house was informed during question hour that a total of 3,603 posts of the teachers of different cadres were vacant in merged tribal districts.

An official reply to a query read that the vacancies would be filled very soon.