Pakistan: Appointments of advisors and special assistants

The Sharif government met with its first reversal in facing the apex court regarding an unelected person's appointment to public office. Aviation Advisor to the Prime Minister, Shujat Azeem, threw in the towel before the court hearing a case related to delay in the construction of the new Benazir International Airport for Islamabad, saying he would tender his resignation. Several irregularities came to light during the hearing, including that the advisor happened to hold dual nationality of both Pakistan and Canada where he served as chief executive officer of the Royal Air Service - a ground handling company; and that during his earlier career as a Pakistan Air Force officer he was court-martialled four times. More relevant to the case before the court, Azeem has been accused of being a business partner of the main infrastructure contractor for the new airport, raising the conflict of interest question. The court has now asked for details of shareholders and directors of the Royal Airport Service from the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan to establish whether or not Azeem and the airport infrastructure contractors were business partners. Attorney General for Pakistan (AGP) Munir A Malik informed the court that Azeem got the appointment because the Prime Minister had so desired, and that none of the offences he was accused of in court martial proceedings involved moral turpitude. But that he does hold dual nationality - which disqualifies Pakistani nationals from becoming members of parliament, provincial assemblies or ministers. The case brings into sharp focus the issue of appointments of unelected persons as advisors and special assistants. Governments past and present, both at the Centre and in the provinces, have been making such appointments. Although, they are officially conferred the status of a minister, the criteria applicable to elected ministers do not apply to these people. The prime minister or the chief minister can assign these positions to anyone on the basis of personal preferences, without a formal institutional check on the antecedents and professional qualifications of the appointees. It is about time a proper process is put in place to ascertain the suitability of unelected persons as advisors and special assistants. Guidance for the purpose can be taken from Britain's parliamentary democracy where unelected individuals having expertise in different areas are inducted as special assistants to aid and advise the government. All such political appointees are treated as 'temporary' civil servants, as against 'permanent' members of civil service as they come and go with change in governments. Their selection is regulated under Civil Service Order in Council, 1995. Some such regulatory system needs to be devised here too to ensure that all political appointees as advisors and special assistants meet the standards required of public office holders.