Senior govt officer requests reducing salary package

LAHORE: A senior government officer, Professor Asad Aslam Khan has set an example by requesting the provincial government to reduce his salary package.

Punjab Human Organ Transplant Authority (PHOTA) Director General (DG) Prof Asad Aslam Khan on Friday requested the provincial government to reduce his remuneration by half, months after the salary package had been rationalised on his request at the time of his appointment, Dawn reported.

In a letter to the Punjab Specialised Healthcare and Medical Education Department, PHOTA DG Prof Asad Aslam wrote: “I was appointed as Administrator/DG P-HOTA in December 2021 and [have been] getting monthly salary package [of] Rs1 million since then”.

He said the government also provided him with an official car, free petrol and a driver in addition to the salary package. He explained that the working hours of his office were five days a week from 9 am to 5 pm (Monday to Friday). Since he joined his office as DG, he said, he found out he used to complete his official assignments/work within three to four hours a day.

“After working for three and a half months I have realised that this salary package, along with the above-mentioned facilities, are out of proportion to the amount of work needed to be done by the Administrator/DG P-HOTA,” the letter stated.

Prof Aslam requested the Punjab health secretary to rationalise his salary package in the better interest of Pakistan as the remuneration was part of tax money. “I propose that my salary package as DG P-HOTA may be reduced from Rs1m to Rs0.5m,” Prof Aslam wrote.

According to an official, the government used to pay Rs1.3m salary and other facilities to his predecessor. Prof Aslam had objected to the high salary package even before his appointment in December 2021. On his request, the health department had then reduced it to Rs1 million, the official said.