ISLAMABAD: The federal government is likely to soon promote its blue-eyed officers of grade 21 to grade 22.
Sources said that a meeting of the high powered selection board (HPSB) will be held soon to consider the cases of officers of different cadres now working in grade 21 for their promotion to grade 22.
This will be the second HPSB in one year as prime minister had in May this year promoted to BS 22 several officers including SPM Dr Touqeer Shah, Secretary Finance Hamid Yaqoob Shiekh, Special Secretary Cabinet Division Aizaz Aslam Dar, Special Secretary at the Prime Minister’s Office Sara Saeed, Secretary Industries Imdad Bosal and others.
Sources said that HPSB is likely to consider Additional Secretary incharge Capt (R) Muhammad Mahmood, Additional Secretary Incharge Power Division Rashid Mahmood Langrial, Chairman NHA Momin Agha, Chief Secretary Punjab Muhammad Abdullah Khan Sumbal, CS Gilgat Baltistan Mohyuddin Ahmad Wani, Muhammad Mujtaba Piracha and others in HPSB meeting.
Interestingly, the Establishment Division has yet to notify the promotions recommended by the Central Selection Board in its meeting held in August this year reportedly due to some reservations raised by the PM office.
However, the same PM office seems ready to hold HPSB meetings and to disregard such reservations, the reservations likely being the same arising from the same flawed and merit killing promotion system but the aspirant for promotion being a different grade 21 category and more influential officers for whom any similar reservations may not seem to count.
It is pertinent to mention here that CSB had recommended the promotion of approximately 400 officers of twelve occupational groups and many ex-cadre officers to grade 20 and 21 but the PM office is reportedly examining each case so recommended by CSB minutely and carefully and has reportedly found in the CSB’s recommendations many flaws and deficiencies which the PM office has rightly asked the CSB to review and rectify.
Interestingly, CSB’s promotion recommendations under examination in PM office are alleged to be, as a whole, in contravention of rule 8-A of the Civil Servants (Appointment, Promotion and Transfer) Rules, 1973 which lays down three requirements for promotion of any officer to next higher grade including minimum length of service in the existing grade, merit in trainings and merit in departmental examination for promotions to be held by the FPSC.
Sources said that promotions without departmental examination are unlawful as rule 8-A leaves to Establishment Division no choice of not prescribing such departmental examination for promotions to BS 17 to 22 and instead leaving 30 marks which should be earned through performance in departmental examination in the hands of CSB to be awarded by CSB on the basis of no objective criteria but on the basis of their sweet will and arbitrary discretion.
Sources disclosed that some officers who feel that they have fallen victim to the well planned destruction of merit in promotions caused by giving unlawfully 30 marks in the hands of CSB, may soon approach the superior courts of the country to allege that 30 marks for promotion to the next higher grade actually belong the objectively assessable performance in departmental examination but have been illegally left by the government at the discretion of CSB to promote cronyism and favouritism and to pick the officers of government’s liking for promotion and these 30 marks are therefore fatal to the objective of merit based promotions envisaged in section 9(2) of the Civil Servants Act, 1973 which envisages promotions on the basis of merit while 30 marks placed in the hands of CSB envisage promotions on the basis of discretion.
Sources said the reservations raised on the CSB’s recommendations for promotion to BS 20 and 21 and similar reservations which can be rightly and lawfully raised on the prospective high powered board recommendations for promotions to grade 22 are one and the same in kind and species. The promotion recommendations as such are not the root cause of miserable defeat of rule of law in Pakistan. The root cause is rather an open and continued contravention of the clear and unambiguous promotion law committed by both CSBs and HPSBs over the years which have fatally wounded and killed the merit in promotions.
