Intense politics within the Foreign Office has rendered the institution almost dysfunctional these days. Though the race for the new foreign secretary is finally over, a massive plan for posting of new ambassadors, stalled since last November, continues to fuel a cut throat competition.
While the PTI government’s decision to limit contractual ambassadors and appoint career diplomats in key capitals abroad had been widely hailed, it also led to a mad gold rush in Hotel Scheherazade that resulted in some incredible outcomes.
Foreign Office insiders say that the extremely well-connected outgoing Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua, originally a protégé of Tariq Fatemi, planned her succession in a way to ensure that all her favourites get installed in key diplomatic assignments and that she gets a consolation ambassadorship of her choice. If the recently published news reports are to be believed, Janjua might have managed to land an ambassadorship to China.
Arguably, the most important diplomatic mission of Pakistan abroad presently, Beijing is also the most sought after for another reason. The incumbent ambassador, Masood Khalid, has enjoyed an unprecedented extension in service of 5 years through protracted contracts. So, anybody going to Beijing post-retirement could look forward to a possible five years extension to spend one’s golden years in luxury and privilege.
It has been also reliably learnt that, besides the outgoing foreign secretary, there are other aspirants for extension though contract assignments as well.
It may be recalled that the Supreme Court of Pakistan had proscribed extensions in service after retirement (through contracts) in a landmark judgment. While the rule had been strictly followed by all other ministries and service cadres, the Foreign Service of Pakistan (FSP) cadre found to novel way to flout that ruling; using a strange logic that after retirement the FSP officers can get extension through a contract using the quota of contractual ambassadors. In reality, any extensions through contracts (which are then further extended) is a blatant negation of the court’s decision both in letter and spirit.
By definition, an extension in service post-retirement, through a contract, assumes that the officer in question cannot be replaced by any of the other available officers. If the logic is accepted then it does not speak well for the FSP group, which has twelve BPS-22 posts and over thirty BPS-21 posts. Thus, the extensions signify that all those promoted to the highest ranks of bureaucracy in the Foreign Office are not competent enough to be posted to important diplomatic stations and that is why the retirees need to be given extensions.
The crux of the matter is that the powerful top bureaucrats in the Foreign Office get so accustomed to an all-expense-paid and privileged lifestyle that they shudder at the thought of giving it all up one fine morning.
Besides the fact that such extensions are a flagrant disregard of an established principle by the highest court of the country, this practice has been quite dismal in terms of productivity of the institution. Since extension are considered a reward for loyalty to the sitting government, the retired FSP ambassadors on contract spend all their energies on keeping their political masters in good humour, while national interests remain in the backburner.
There are many instances where senior ambassadors have clung to their ambassadorial perks and privileges post-retirement like a gecko to a wall, by using every available trick in the bag, such as Ambassador Masood Khalid in Beijing, who has been on extension for five years now.
The esteemed Supreme Court may like to take cognizance of this unlawful practice, which not only flouts its landmark decision in letter and spirit, but also denies the qualified FSP officers their rightful share of important diplomatic assignments. Moreover, it creates a culture of sycophancy and opportunism.
Reportedly, some affected officers in the Foreign Office are already contemplating taking the matter to court; in case the anticipated extensions materialise.
In another unprecedented development, it has been learnt that some favourite ambassadors are desperately pulling strings to get a consecutive third ambassadorial assignment abroad. This would be a clear violation of rules and long-established convention and open a Pandora’s box where nobody would want to come back to the headquarters after two consecutive stints as per rules.
Sources indicate that a barrage of high level ‘sifarishain’ is in the works, even as Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has been resisting so far.
