ISLAMABAD: He was denied promotion in 8th consecutive meeting of the High Powered Selection Board (HPSB) last week, but all his junior bureaucrats were promoted to top grade-22 five years back.
“I’m directed to inform [you] that minutes of HPSB are categorised as secret and there is no provision in the civil servants (promotion to the post of secretary, BS-22 and equivalent) rules 2010 regarding communication of reasons for non-promotion to the officers concerned,” a confidential letter responded to one of senior most diplomats posted in Egypt who sought reasons behind leaving him out. The diplomat was youngest officer ever in foreign services promoted to BPS-21 in 2010 and won the world’s prestigious awards.
“Promotions are all whimsical. I’m not privy to the proceedings of May 2 HPSB meeting nor I contacted anyone because I know that my car is very old and I am a victim of petty myopic selection process characterised by nepotism at the highest level,” said Pakistan Ambassador to Egypt Mushtaq Ali Shah. He is one of such unlucky top 62 civil servants who, on no reason, were denied promotion since the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz government took over (2013-2018).
The government promoted 16 officials of different service groups to BS-22 on May 2, ignoring around a dozen senior most officers who otherwise had an excellent service record and good repute.
Many BS-21 officers who were superseded numerous times by the Board were lucky this time, informed civil servants said. Some of Mr Shah’s junior colleagues like Ambassador Nasrullah Khan, who were earlier dropped by the HPSB twice.
Similar case is with another senior most officer from Police Services Pakistan Akhtar Hassan Gorchani who was denied promotion by the HPSB in its seven meetings whilst his name has been on top of the panel list since 2013. A few of his junior police officers like Amjad Javed Saleemi who were earlier rejected by the HPSB, have been elevated to BPS-22.
“This problem begins not with a whimper but with a bang as formula of picking blue-eyed bureaucrats spread anxiety among ignored honest top bureaucrats in civil service of Pakistan,” said a member of HPSB. Another such case is of Syed Haider Ali Shah from Pakistan Administrative Service (PAS) who was denied promotion time and again where the board did not mention any reason.
On the other hand, some officers who were otherwise dropped by the board, also got BS 22. Ambassador Naeem Khan, who was on deputation with OIC Secretariat, was promoted to BPS-22 in 2016 by the then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif circumventing rules that did not allow promotion to officers on deputation abroad and another similar case. Ambassador Shah Jamal was promoted from BPS-21 to BPS-22 last year though his mandatory service-time-period was not complete yet, added the informed officials.
Other senior officers named Pakistan Ambassador to Russia, Qazi Khalilullah, Pakistan Ambassador to Italy Nadeem Riaz, Syed Akhtar Ali (PSP), Ghulam Qadir Thebo (PSP), AD Khawaja (PSP), Abdul Subhan (PAS), Tipu Mohabat (PAS), Aftab Habib (PAS) and Sohail Akbar (PAS) also could not get promotion.
Suleman Khan of police services of Pakistan got grade-22 and was appointed as chief of the Intelligence Bureau DG yesterday (Monday).
Aqeel Nadeem, Pakistan Ambassador to Malaysia, Mr Khalid Usman, Ambassador to Greece and Sohail Mehmood, Pakistan High Commissioner in India also got BS 22. Despite having a vacancy, no one was promoted from the Information Service of Pakistan. Five grade-21 officers of PAS were also promoted to grad-22. They are: Imran Ahmed, Capt (R) Akbar Durrani, Tahir Naqvi, Shahrukh Nusrat and Muhammad Ashraf.
Hamid Haroon of Military Land and two officers namely Nadeem Dar and Lubna Farrukh of In-Land Revenue were also promoted to grade-22 and two officers Ghazanfar Jillani and Dr Ejaz Munir of Accounts Group were also promoted by the Board this week.
A former member of Federal Public Service Commission, Fazila Aliani says, “It is high time to offer attractive packages to civil servants. Otherwise, the corporate sector will appear far more attractive than the civil service sector to everybody. All groups should be given equal share in apportionment of BPS-21 and BPS-22 posts of the federal government.” A controversial Statutory Regulatory Order (SRO) 88(I), dated February 10, 2014, was issued in violation of Article 240 of the Constitution of Pakistan that provides for determination of terms and conditions of the civil servants by or under Act of Parliament. “Over 345 officers have lost not only their right to be considered for promotion in their own occupational group/cadre but have also been downgraded in terms of seniority, as officers of other groups were promoted against the posts of Office Management and Secretariat Groups out of sheer personal malice, bias and prejudice developed against them,” says a member of HPSB.
Attempts were made to obtain government’s point of view from various officials concerned but none of them offered any. On April 28, 2010, the Supreme Court in its order observed the discretion exercised by (the then) prime minister Yusuf Raza Gilani about promoting 54 bureaucrats to grade-22 was not in consonance with the well-known principles of fair play and good governance.
As a consequence whereof notifications (of promoting civil servants) are declared having been passed without taking into consideration merits among officers promoted from BS-21 to BS-22, added the SC order.