LAHORE: Provincial services police officers have written to the chief secretary that Police Service of Pakistan (PSP) officers have “illegally” occupied nearly 200 seats reserved for the provincial cadre officers in the province.

About the PSP cadre strength rules, they say that according to the schedule and the Inter-provincial Coordination Committee minutes of the meeting, only 162 out of 362 sanctioned posts are allocated to the Federal Services of Pakistan strength on a ‘sharing basis’, while the remaining posts are reserved for the provincial service.

They have filed a complaint with the Punjab chief secretary after, what they say, the senior leadership of police remained unmoved to their several correspondences in this regard.

Before filing the complaint, provincial service police officers sensitised high administrative and legal forums to take the matter to the logical end.

An official privy to the meeting of the ranker police officers said that one of the participants raised a point that currently only two ranker police officers are working as district police officers — in Okara and Mandi Bahauddin.

No ranker officer has been posted as a regional police officer in Punjab for the last many years. This aspect has further widened the gap between the two communities of the police.

They wrote to the chief secretary: “Any appointment over the above-sanctioned strength i.e. 162 is evidently illegal and tantamount to the encroachment of the rights of the provincial police officers”.

They say the posting of federal officers on provincial seats is also against the spirit of the constitution and the rules of business of the Punjab government, 2011.

They say the police officers posted through the Provincial Public Service Commission (PPSC) are eligible to be posted at the BS-19 while about 50 such posts are lying vacant.

“These officers were further eligible to be considered for the promotions to the rank of BS-20 and BS-21 in Punjab”, the letter reads.

The letter cites the police department notification dated Nov 14, 2019, that seniority and service come under the provision of section 7(2) of the Punjab Civil Servants Act of 1974 and Rule and Rule 8 of Punjab Civil Servants (Appointments, and Conditions of Services) Act of 1974.

They say that as per Punjab rules of business 2011, section 23 (I), read with fourth schedule serial No 10, the chief minister is empowered to make appointments, promotions, postings and transfer of SSPs (BS-19), DIGs (BS-20), and additional IGs (BS-21).

“In view of above, it is humbly submitted that the postings of the PSP officers may not be made above their scheduled posts i.e 162 shared posts in Punjab and the provincial police officers may kindly be considered for promotion against the vacant senior cadre posts”, reads the letter, asking for chief secretary’s intervention on legal and administrative grounds to ensure justice to the police officials who constitute over 90 percent of the total 200,000 Punjab police force.

IGP Rao Sardar Ali Khan said he commands and treats both provincial and federal officers equally.

Punjab Headquarters DIG Rai Babar said that the cases of nearly 40 police officers of Punjab services serving in BS 18 have been finalized to dispatch them for encasement in the PSP.

He rejected the claim of the provincial services officers that the amendment from the Punjab Assembly would resolve their promotion and other services related issues, saying that the amendments were also required in federal government rules.

About the claims that after encasement in the PSP, their seniority would badly damage their career, the DIG said after encasement in PSP they would have to follow the federal government rules in the given circumferences.

“What we can do is that we are ready to give them equal opportunity to avail top positions in Punjab after the change of cadre.”

Published in Dawn, March 22nd, 2022