ISLAMABAD, May 11: The administration of Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation (PBC) has violated the rules of the Establishment Division by promoting two officers of the information ministry currently on deputation in the corporation, official documents available with Dawn reveal.

Shahnaz Akhtar and Sabtain Raza, BPS-17 officers of the information group, still in their probationary period have been on deputation to the PBC. However, instead of appointing them in BPS-17 (equal to Scale-6 in PBC), they were appointed in BPS-18 (Scale-7) as programme managers in violation of the deputation rules.

According to the Establishment Division rules, officers shall serve in the same grades after deputation.

Sources in the PBC told Dawn that director administration Malik Mohammad Ashraf had appointed the two probationers bypassing 30 producers (BPS-17), who had been serving in the corporation for the past 20 years, because he himself belonged to the information ministry.

The top administrative posts of the PBC are currently in the hands of officials of the information ministry.

Under the rules of the Establishment Division, he added, probationers could not be deputed. Besides, deputation did not mean promotion of an officer and they shall be given equal status only with some additional allowances if any.

“After the end of their deputation period, both the officers would again work in the information ministry in BPS-17. But in the PBC they are working in BPS-18. This has generated several audit related complications as they will have to be provided all the perks and privileges of a grade-18 employee,” the official added.

Both the probationers have yet to pass their final passing out examination (POE) of the Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC) after specialised training in their academy.

The sources said the rules did not allow deputation of the probationers, but the PBC management without caring for the rules issued the orders of the officers on the recommendations of Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. The officers were deputed in PBC on April 1 as part of their training.

The PBC has no employees conduct rules and regulations of its own. It follows the government’s rules of deputation, posting and transfer under services rules 1979.

Sources said the management transferred deputy controller personnel Nuzhat Yasmeen to the legal branch after she refused to approve the promotion of the two probationers.

They said Ms Yasmeen was of the view that the promotion was contrary to the rules of service and neither the deputed nor the probationer could be promoted.