Fact-check: Government to retire civil servants outside 35-50 age range?

An alleged notification is circulating online which claims that the cabinet has approved amendments to the law governing civil servants' employment, and per the new changes, only officials between the ages of 35-50 years will be retained by the government, while the rest would be retired with a severance package.

The claim is false.

Claim

A notification, dated September 10, purportedly issued by the Cabinet Division of the federal government, states that the cabinet and the prime minister have approved amendments to the Employees’ Act 1986.

The proposed changes to the Act include retiring all individuals below the age of 35 years and above 50 years working in government institutions. Furthermore, it adds that retired employees, both young and old, will be given a golden handshake and a severance package at dismissal.

The notification is allegedly signed by Kamran Ali Afzal, the cabinet secretary.

Several social media users in Pakistan have shared the supposed notification, believing it to be true, on X (formerly Twitter) and WhatsApp. It has also made its way to various websites.

Fact

Government officials have refuted the viral notification and its contents, adding that no such policy was under consideration either.

Kamran Ali Afzal, the cabinet secretary, whose signature appears on the alleged notification, debunked it as “fake” in response to Geo Fact Check’s query. He also clarified that no such policy was under discussion.

Attaullah Tarar, the federal minister for information and broadcasting, also called the viral notification “absolutely fake.”

Additionally, Geo Fact Check could not find the alleged notification on the website of the Cabinet Division either. The last notification issued by the Division was dated September 6.

Furthermore, there is no law in Pakistan called the “Employees Act 1986,” as cited in the false notification. However, there is a law called the “Ex-employees of the Former Government of East Pakistan (Appointment to Provincial Posts) Act, 1986,” and the Civil Servants Act, 1973.

Follow us on @GeoFactCheck on X (Twitter) and @geo_factcheck on Instagram. If our readers detect any errors, we encourage them to contact us at [email protected]