The interim government has embarked on a decisive purge within the civil service, targeting 208 administration cadre officials implicated in controversial electoral processes spanning the past 16 years.
This includes those who allegedly facilitated electoral malpractice in the disputed national elections of 2014, 2018, and 2024.
A comprehensive list of these individuals has already been submitted to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) for further investigation.
On Thursday, 22 Deputy Commissioners (DCs) who played roles in contentious elections were forcibly retired, while 33 administration cadre officers were reassigned as Special Duty Officers (OSD) the day before.
Senior sources within the Public Administration Ministry confirmed that those found complicit in enabling electoral fraud, disregarding ethical norms, and executing illicit orders from political superiors would face stringent measures, including compulsory retirement, reassignment, and departmental proceedings.
The ministry has classified these officials into two groups: those whose tenure has surpassed 25 years are being mandatorily retired, while those with remaining service years are being placed as OSDs.
Several of these individuals had been promoted to positions such as Secretary, Additional Secretary, and Joint Secretary despite their controversial pasts.
A senior official from the ministry, speaking on condition of anonymity, revealed that beyond mere administrative action, stringent disciplinary measures are being taken against those who not only obeyed unlawful directives but also allegedly reaped significant financial benefits in return.
The probe extends beyond Returning Officers, encompassing divisional commissioners from the previous administration, who are also under scrutiny.
Legal proceedings under the Government Service Act have been initiated against many implicated officials, marking a significant step in the interim government's reform drive.
Extensive administrative restructuring underway
Since 5 August, sweeping changes have been implemented within the public administration.
Fourteen senior secretaries and secretaries have been compulsorily retired, while 23 others have been reassigned as OSDs.
Additionally, one Grade-1 officer has been retired, with two others reassigned.
The government has also ordered the retirement of 19 Additional Secretaries and reallocated 51 others to OSD status.
However, the unprecedented scale of these administrative shake-ups has triggered internal divisions within the bureaucracy.
A senior official from a key ministry expressed concerns about the broad-brush approach, warning that such extensive punitive measures against a particular faction could destabilise the administration.
He cautioned that mass reassignments and retirements could fuel anxiety and uncertainty within the civil service at a time when the new administration requires an efficient and cooperative bureaucracy to implement its sweeping reforms.
Committee formed to oversee reform measures
Senior Secretary Mokhles Ur Rahman confirmed to journalists on Thursday that a high-level committee, comprising four advisers, the cabinet secretary, and the senior secretary of the Public Administration Ministry, has been constituted to oversee the restructuring process.
The committee recommended the compulsory retirement of 22 Returning Officers (DCs) linked to electoral controversies.
Acknowledging the deep-seated grievances, the official remarked, "Some refer to the elections of 2014, 2018, and 2024 as disputed, others as outright unacceptable. These polls were orchestrated with the assistance of returning officers, who played a significant role in legitimising the illegitimate. Not a single DC stood up in protest, resigned, or refused to be complicit in electoral manipulations."
So far, 43 DCs have been reassigned as OSDs, while those surpassing 25 years of service have been forcibly retired. On Wednesday, an additional 33 officers who served as Returning Officers in the 2018 election were placed as OSDs.
Former bureaucrats express alarm over mass retirements
Former Secretary Abu Alam Shahid Khan criticised the blanket punitive measures, describing them as "a troubling precedent."
He argued that the government has the authority to appoint any citizen as a Returning Officer, and these officials were merely carrying out their designated responsibilities.
"A Returning Officer oversees multiple constituencies and thousands of polling stations. Holding them solely accountable for electoral irregularities is unjustified," he asserted.
Several recently reassigned OSD officials voiced their grievances, claiming they had been made scapegoats.
"No government servant can execute duties without direct orders. We were assigned responsibilities and fulfilled them. Now, we are being sacrificed to atone for political misdeeds," one affected official remarked.
Another noted that irregularities during these elections were not solely within the domain of the civil administration but involved other state apparatuses.
As the government accelerates its reform agenda, the large-scale restructuring of the bureaucracy is likely to remain a subject of debate, with concerns mounting over the potential long-term impact on administrative stability.
