LAHORE, Sept 20: The Punjab Service Tribunal (PST) has set aside promotion orders of two additional secretaries of the Punjab Assembly and directed the speaker to convene a meeting of the departmental promotion committee afresh and take up cases of all eligible officers.

Deputy secretary Amir Habib filed a petition against the promotion of Rai Mumtaz Babar and Faizul Basit as additional secretaries on the grounds of alleged discrimination showed by the promotion committee. The petitioner prayed that both promoted officers (respondents) were junior to him and lacked eligibility criteria.

The tribunal in its order stated that the petitioner enjoyed the requisite qualification as well as experience.

The tribunal pointed out that the scrutiny of a case record revealed that the service record and academic credentials of the petitioner were not placed before the DPC which was tantamount to concealing facts.

The service tribunal declared the promotions given to respondents Babar and Basit null and void with directions to the speaker to hold a fresh meeting of the DPC to consider promotion of the petitioner and other eligible officers.