LAHORE: Corporals in the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) have been given a promotion ladder which is harder to climb than fighting terrorism, also denying them the top two positions in the service as against the promise made in the policy guidelines for the specialised unit.

The service is stated to be based on the British police model where a constable can become the chief constable over the years, carrying his field experience and knowledge of intricacies of the profession to the top level and therefore handling the service with in-house skills.

And impressed by this idea, 15,000 highly-qualified men and women had applied for the posts of corporals. Around 12,000 of them became corporals after undergoing modern but demanding recruitment and training drills. They do qualify for clearing the CSS examination to join the Police Service of Pakistan which will now occupy their top positions of director and director general.

According to documents obtained by Dawn on Wednesday, the career progression for the corporals has fast and normal tracks but both of them are exhaustive and time-consuming, promising the maximum post of just additional director to the corporals. The ladder does not carry the top commanding posts of director and director general which will continue to be manned by the officers of the police department or Police Service of Pakistan, ruining the concept that this is an all-corporal service.

Both tracks for CTD promotions are cumbersome

For corporals, there are initial and secondary promotion examinations carrying three chances. The there is an intermediate course and performance evaluation for qualifying for the so-called fast track initial post of Under Officer through the Punjab Public Service Commission (PPSC) carrying three chances.

The PPSC-selected under officers will have to clear many hurdles and spend five more years to become senior under officers. The senior under officers will be eligible to become assistant directors after five years. Those spending seven years at this post will be eligible to become deputy directors at the maximum age of 48 years. The promotion of deputy directors as additional directors will be after another seven years.

The regular promotion track is more troublesome. Those failing to pass the PPSC examination for the post of under officer will be switched over to this side. They will become eligible for the initial post of sergeant. Those not promoted to the post after availing three chances will be deadwood.

The next post for sergeants having 11 years of service is sergeant major. And the next higher office is under officer after 18 years of service. The lucky ones will become senior under officers after 23 years of service. They will become assistant directors after 33 years of service and their estimated age at this point will be 58 years. The next post for them is deputy director but all are expected to attain superannuation before they qualify for it.

And besides the long years required to reach the top post of additional director reserved for the corporals, they are to qualify real hard refresher course, secondary leadership course, performance evaluation, advance leadership examination, junior and senior command courses.

Officials say the corporals were recruited as future leaders of the force but they are being treated as subordinates, mere constables. Only the lucky ones will be able to cross the hurdles in many years and end up as mere subordinates.

CTD Additional IG Muhammad Tahir Rai says this is an incentive-based service for the competent persons. And there is a fast track promotion structure for the competent corporals. He admits that the declared ladder ends up at the post of additional director but says the real competent persons will also become eligible for the higher post of director.

Published in Dawn, October 8th, 2015

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