Out-of-turn promotions: Panel for restoring demoted policemen’s ranks

LAHORE: The Special Committee on Out-of-turn Promotions formed by the Supreme Court of Pakistan has recommended the court to restore the demoted police officers to senior ranks under rules and regulations of 1987 and 2006.

According to documents received by daily Jang, a report prepared on May 28, 2021 after the death on April 19, 2021 of former IG Nasir Khan Durrani, head of the Special Committee which comprised former IG Shaukat Javed, SSP (retd) Ghulam Muhammad Kalyar and SSP (retd) Raja Farooq Sajid, told the Supreme Court that Section 8A was inserted into the Punjab Civil Servants Act 1974 in 1987, which was later removed through legislation by the Punjab Assembly on October 17, 2006. The committee said that before 1987 when there was no Section 8A, police officers were promoted on the basis of bravery. The committee told the Supreme Court that police officers were given out-of-turn promotions on the basis of efficient working and bravery through a high-level process.

The Special Committee, in its report, said former IG Punjab Zulfiqar Qureshi on September 8, 1996 and former IG Jahanzeb Burqi on July 11, 1997 had approved out-of-turn promotions.

Former chief justice of Pakistan Saqib Nisar heading a three-member bench had declared out-of-turn promotions in the Police Department illegal. Following the Supreme Court orders, the Establishment Division had removed the names of 16 police officers who got out-of-turn promotions from the PSP cadre. These officers were former DIG Akhtar Umar Hayat Lalika, former SSP CIA Lahore Umar Virk, former SP Ameer Taimoor, Naeemul Hasan Khan, Faisal Gulzar, Roy Zameerul Haq, Shahid Razaq Qureshi, Ejaz Shafi, Rana Shahid Pervez, Qasim Khan, Owais Malik, Tahir Maqsood, Karamatullah Malik, Mukhtar Hussain Shah, Farooq Ahmed and Khalid Rauf.

Reliable sources say the Home Department and the Punjab Police have expressed reservations over the report of the Special Committee and prepared a counter report which will be submitted to the Supreme Court.