LAHORE: The Punjab government has tightened procedural requirements for officers intending to perform Hajj duty, making prior approval from the Services & General Administration Department (S&GAD) mandatory.
According to an official communication available with The News, the S&GAD issues a notification and addressed to all BS-18 officers of the Punjab Administrative Service (PAS) and Provincial Management Service (PMS), concerns have been raised over instances where officers directly submitted applications for Hajj duty to the Ministry of Religious Affairs & Interfaith Harmony, Government of Pakistan, without obtaining the required No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the competent authority.
The department has clarified that, in future, no officer will be allowed to apply for Hajj duty without securing prior permission/NOC from S&GAD. It further stated that any application submitted directly to the federal ministry without prior approval will not be entertained for ex-post facto endorsement.
The communication also warns that such violations will be treated as misconduct. In such cases, disciplinary proceedings will be initiated under the Punjab Employees Efficiency, Discipline and Accountability (PEEDA) Act, 2006.
All officers have been directed to strictly comply with the instructions in letter and spirit.
