ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court has declared that civil servants are not obligated to comply with illegal orders issued by the prime minister. Justice Hashim Kakar made this statement during proceedings on the OGDCL recruitment case, asserting that Pakistan is not a monarchy where instructions are followed without question.
The case, addressing unlawful hirings in OGDCL, was heard by a three-member bench headed by Justice Kakar. The court instructed all legal counsel to be thoroughly prepared for their arguments and underscored the significance of following legal protocols in public sector recruitment processes.
During the hearing, a representative from the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) informed the court that former minister Anwar Saifullah had pressured the OGDCL chairman to issue appointment letters. It was noted that job recruitments should have been conducted through transparent public advertisements. The NAB counsel also highlighted that parliamentary pressure had been cited as justification for these actions.
Justice Kakar strongly emphasized that civil servants have a duty to reject unlawful directives, even if doing so comes with personal risks. He pointed out the issue of overstaffing across many government institutions. In agreement, Justice Salahuddin Panhwar remarked that ministers often face significant public demands for employment opportunities.
The NAB further argued that overstaffing had contributed to the decision to privatize PIA. Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim observed that these recruitments occurred prior to the enactment of accountability laws and noted that, while the former minister had already served his sentence, the stigma of his conviction persists.
