LANDI KOTAL (Khyber Agency), Sept 13: The newly-formulated policy for promotion of federal government employees to BPS-20 and 21 has been criticise by a number of officials belonging to the Federally Administered Tribal Areas.

Some of them told Dawn that the upper limit of 75 per cent marks awarded on the basis of the Annual Confidential Report had been increased to 80 per cent by the Central Promotion Board at its July 29 meeting.

They said that earlier promotions were made under the criteria of seniority and fitness on the basis of 75 per cent marks.

“This year prescribed rules were set aside at the spur of the moment and the threshold was raised to 80 per cent without any notification,” said one of the officials.

With the implementation of the new policy, none of the official in the Secretariat Group from Fata and Balochistan had been considered for promotion to BPS-20 or 21 despite the fact that they had scored more than 75 per cent marks and deserved promotion on the basis of seniority.

According to government service rules, a federal government official cannot be considered for promotion for two years if he has been superseded or ignored by the board and it could be all over for him if he is ignored or superseded for a second consecutive time.

If the new policy of promotion was implemented, most of the Fata and Balochistan officials would be deprived of promotion for two years, sources said.

They expressed the apprehension that the new policy could further deepen the feelings of alienation and deprivation among the officials from Fata and smaller provinces.

Some senators from the tribal areas have raised the issue in the Senate and also with the prime minister.

At present there is no official from Fata and Balochistan in BPS-20 and BPS-21, which many believe is a discrimination against the government employees from the backward areas.

Many among the officials from Fata acknowledged that there was no constitutional obligation for the promotions on regional quota system, but they demanded due consideration to officials from the backward areas who fulfilled basic criteria for promotion.

They proposed a parliamentary committee headed by a federal minister to ascertain the facts and recommend promotion of those who fulfilled the criterion of seniority and fitness.