ISLAMABAD: Though there is an acute shortage of senior police officers in the country, including Islamabad, the Central Selection Board (CSB) once again failed to meet and recommend the promotion of officers, especially in Grade 19 and above.

Officials in the Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC), the establishment division and the CSB said the board was scheduled to meet in Islamabad during the third week of September but due to unknown reasons it was postponed.

Speaking on the condition of anonymity, officials in the FPSC and the establishment division said, “There is the issue of flood in Punjab and members of the CSB are also engaged in different duties, including maintaining peace in their respective areas and arranging security for the protesters of PAT and the PTI. The situation in the federal capital is also not normal.”

It may be noted that security in the country, including Islamabad, has been put on high alert but there is the shortage of senior police officers such as DIGs and SSPs, especially in Islamabad, to supervise the security arrangements.

In the capital city, the post of DIG security, responsible for the security of VVIPs, VIPs, foreign dignitaries and sensitive installations, is lying vacant for the last many months.

Besides, due to the shortage, superintendents of police (SP) have been appointed as the SSP operation and SSP headquarters. Similar is the case in Punjab and Sindh where junior officers have been posted on senior posts. The officials said at present there was a shortage of 300 DIGs and SSPs all over the country.

They said the Prime Minister Office in a letter on December 31, 2007, had directed that the “Meetings of the promotion boards (CSB and the departmental selection boards) should be held on a regular basis at least twice a year.” But the CSB meetings were not held twice since 2011.

The CSB met only once in 2013 and 2014, affecting the promotion of the service career of officers in all the cadres and groups.

The last meeting of the CSB was held on February 2, 2014, but at that meeting the board did not consider the promotion of grade 19 officers (SSP) as some officers of the Sindh police had filed a petition with the Sindh High Court against the board and claiming backdated seniority and induction in the Police Service of Pakistan (PSP). The court granted them stay, which has still not been vacated.

Later, PSP officers approached the law ministry to consider their promotion.

In response, the ministry wrote to the Establishment Division: “In view of the establishment division, the officers may be considered for promotion but the actuatlisation of their promotion may be kept pending till the decision of the SHC in the case.”

But the promotion of the grade 19 officers was not considered, resulting in the shortage of officers.

The officials said the promotion of officers from the rank of SSP to DIG was made at a board meeting in 2013 and that of the SPs to SSPs in 2012.

Published in Dawn, October 2nd , 2014