Govt appoints new FPSC chairman

ISLAMABAD: The appointment of new chairman of Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC) has paved the way for promotion of officers, waiting for their promotion for months but confrontation, between outgoing chairman with the Establishment Division, blocked it.

It is likely that second meeting of Central Selection Board (CSB) will be held in less than a month where cases of promotion of several officers of grade 20 & 21 would be taken up for consideration. The government has appointed Captain Maroof Afzal as new chairman of the Commission, who will assume the office here today. The president will administer the oath of office to Maroof Afzal according to the provision of the Constitution.

Maroof Afzal is an upright officer of Pakistan Administrative Service (PAS), erstwhile known as District Management Group (DMG) and belonged to 15th CTP. Having wide experience of administration, judicial functions, social and infrastructure development, he served for more than 32 years on positions of responsibility in the federal government.

He initiated his career as an officer in the army and later joined the civil service through competition. He had worked as secretary cabinet, Establishment Division, secretary Ministry of Information Technology & Telecommunication, secretary Industries & Production, chairman Capital Development Authority (CDA) & chairman National Highway Authority (NHA.

Maroof Afzal, who is currently member of the FPSC, would be holding his new assignment till 19th April 2023, the unexpired portion of his time as member. He comes from a dignified and respectable family and enjoyed reputation of an honest and dutiful officer, who was known for taking on challenges as an officer of integrity.

The Establishment Division had moved a panel of eight members to Prime Minster Office for the appointment of new FPSC chairman. Maroof Afzal name was also part of the panel. The tenure of outgoing FPSC Chairman Haseeb Athar has completed on November 12, 2020.

According to the notification issued by the Establishment Division here, “In exercise of the powers conferred under Article 242 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, read with Sub-Section (3) of Section and Section 5-A of the Federal Public Service Commission Ordinance 1977, as amended from time to time, the President of Islamic Republic of Pakistan is pleased to appoint Captain (Retd) Maroof Afzal, presently serving as member Federal Public Service Commission as Chairman FPSC from 13-11-2020 for a period not exceeding the unexpired portion of his time as member till 19-4-2023.”

The CSB was convened for August 26 of this year but due to non-availability of chief secretaries and police chiefs of the four provinces on account of Muharramul Haram, the meeting was deferred. The outgoing FPSC Chairman Haseeb Athar complained that he wasn’t taken into confidence before postponing the CSB meeting and for the reason he declined to chair the meeting if again convened without his prior approval.

The FPSC chairman is supposed to preside the proceedings of the CSB. Later, he was reluctant in giving any dare for the meeting and it caused serious disquiet among the senior civil officers, who were waiting for their promotion. The sources pointed out that the entire paperwork has been complete as secretary Establishment Dr Ejaz Munir is fully prepared for convening the meeting of the CSB at any point in time.