GILGIT: The civil servants posted in Gilgit-Baltistan have expressed reservations against the decision to upgrade the post of personal staff officer to chief minister.

In a letter written to GB Chief Minister Khalid Khursheed Khan, the Gilgit-Baltistan Civil Service Association (GBCSA) said that the upgradation of certain posts along with the incumbent was in violation of rules and regulations and urged that similar favours should be extended to all officers.

Last week, the GB cabinet approved to relax the Upgradation Policy, 2019 to upgrade the post of PSO to CM from Grade 19 to Grade 20, along with the incumbent Ali Rahmat, who will attain the age of superannuation next year.

Expressing concerns over the decision, the civil servants’ body said that the cabinet does not have the power to relax policies with ‘person-specific’ benefits. It called the move ‘detrimental to the civil service of GB’.

While questioning the decision, the GBCSA claimed that the individual has already availed five upgrades during his service and lacks the qualification and eligibility to be elevated to Grade 20.

The letter stated that to allay the perception of discrimination among the bureaucracy, the ‘generosity’ displayed by the cabinet in this case should be extended to all the officers so that they can also avail the benefits.

“[The officers] have been inducted through […] Combined Competitive Exam (CCE) and over the years gained ample experience [...]. Therefore, it is requested that necessary directives may be issued to S&GAD to float a summary for approval of GB Cabinet in prescribed manner,” the letter stated.

The GBCSA said since there were few avenues of progression for officers of GB, therefore, the relaxation in Up-gradation Policy, 2019 was appreciated to accelerate the pace of promotions.

However, the body warned that if favour was extended to selected officers without following the rules, it would “open up flood-gates for personal up-gradation”.

Published in Dawn, October 15th, 2022