ISLAMABAD: In its haste to promote a few bureaucrats, the outgoing government seems to have delayed the promotions of scores of officers from the Pakistan Administrative Service (PAS), often considered the most powerful cadre of the civil service.

A day earlier, the establishment division notified the promotion of 26 officers to grade 20, against 243 vacant positions in this grade, sources told Dawn.

They said that the division had finalised a panel of 72 grade 18 officers to be considered for promotion.

The outgoing government had convened the Central Selection Board (CSB) a few days before the dissolution of the National Assembly, and appointed the chairman of the Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC) on July 19.

The establishment division notified Shahid Ashraf Tarrar as the new FPSC chairman until January 17, 2024. The chairman chairs the CSB, and the post had been vacant since December last year.

Sources in establishment division say govt haste to convene selection board meant documentary formalities could not be completed

However, the establishment division was apparently not prepared to complete the hectic exercise — which officials said ordinarily takes months to plan — and hence could not complete the paperwork in time.

As per routine practice, the division informs bureaucrats awaiting promotion about any deficiency in their record and helps them to remove objections on their candidature.

But this time around, sources told Dawn, they did not have ample time to finish the exercise, due to which, at least 41 officers who were awaiting promotion have been overlooked.

Between Aug 1 and 4, the CSB considered the promotions of various cadres, which were notified on Aug 11.

The Board recommended the promotions of 24 PAS officers in BS-21, 26 in BS-20, 09 officers of Police Service of Pakistan in BS-21, 22 in BS-21, 10 officers of Foreign Service of Pakistan in BS-21, 17 in BS-20, 1 officer of Inter-Services Intelligence in BS-21 and 1 in BS-20, 6 officers of Inland Revenue Service in BS-21, 19 in BS-20, 6 officers of Pakistan Custom Service in BS-21, 20 in BS-20.

The CSB also recommended promotions of 42 ex-cadres officers to grade 20 and 21.

Out of those who could not be promoted, 33 officers were not considered as their assets declaration forms were not brought on the CSB’s record.

The establishment division has a wing devoted to processing the asset declarations of bureaucrats and, in case an officer fails to submit the form in time, the concerned department informs them of the deficiency via phone, email or registered post.

A few officers that Dawn spoke to said that this time around, the establishment division did not inform them about any deficiency in their record.

One officer told Dawn that the assets declaration form was not part of the service record and the CSB had deferred their promotions for without any legal justification.

When contacted, a senior establishment division official said that the outgoing government had insisted on convening the CSB meeting before dissolution of the National Assembly. This did not give the division enough time to complete the hectic exercise.

Dawn reached out to establishment division spokesperson, joint secretary (administration) Miandad Rahooja for comment, who said that the Career Planning (CP) Wing makes all necessary arrangements for CSB meetings, and referred queries regarding the recent CSB to officials of the CP Wing.

However, a CP wing official claimed that joint secretary Miandad was the department’s spokesperson and the only one authorised to speak on the record on the division’s behalf.

Published in Dawn, August 13th, 2023