ISLAMABAD: A third of Islamabad’s police force may retire under the new Civil Servants (Directory Retirement from Service) Rules 2020.

Police officials told Dawn that nearly 4,000 out of the 11,626 officials may be retired under the new rules. A meeting of retirement committees is scheduled for July 31.

An office memorandum issued by Cabinet Secretariat stated that the Civil Servants (Directory Retirement from Service) Rules 2020 were notified on April 15. Rule 6 provides that each ministry or division maintains a list of all the civil servants who have completed 20 years of services, whose performance will be reviewed by their respective retirement board or committee.

All ministries, divisions and departments have been asked to indicate dates by July 31, when the respective retirement committees are scheduled to meet for civil servants from grades 17 to 19 and grades one to 16, the memorandum said.

Police officials told Dawn that in response to the memorandum, the police have made a list of 3,967 officials — 169 inspectors, 388 sub-inspectors, 845 assistant sub-inspectors (ASI), 946 head constables and 1,619 constables — for submission.

The list of ex-cadre superintendents of police (SP) and deputy superintendents of police (DSP) has also been made which consists of more than half of the police’s ex-cadre SPs and DSPs.

The police have a sanctioned strength of 11,626 officials, including 19 SPs (grade 18), 47 assistant and deputy superintendents of police (grade 17), 173 inspectors (grade 16), 514 sub-inspectors (grade 14), 1,142 ASIs (grade 11), 1,568 head constables (grade 9) and 8,147 constables (grade 7).

The first induction into the police force was made in 1983 followed by 1984, 1987, 1988, 1989 and 2005, the officials said. Around 80pc of the force, from constables and inspectors and DSPs and SPs from the ex-cadre group, have completed more than 30 years of service.

The officials said all the ex-cadre SPs and DSPs have also completed 20 years of service.

According to the list made for the submission, a third of the existing force may retire.

This would leave just four inspectors and 126 sub-inspectors to be appointed station house officer (SHO), additional SHO, homicide unit in-charge and supervisors for heinous crimes cases.

There are two categories of civil servants: ex-cadre and Central Superior Services (CSS). The officials said it is the ex-cadre group that meets the retirement criteria under the new rules.

When asked about the rules, the ex-cadre officials said they had caused unease among the group.

According to the rules, officials who have completed 20 years of service will retire. Two groups have been created in this regard: grades one to 16 and grades 17 to 19.

Officials in the Islamabad police require 28 to 30 years to be promoted from the grade 11 rank of ASI to the grade 17 rank of DSP. As a result, officials from the ex-cadre group become eligible for promotion to DSP by the time they are 55 years old.

Most DSPs retire in the same rank, while some are promoted to SP when there is a year or two left in their service.

When contacted, police spokesperson Mohammad Naeem refused to comment and said the inspector general of police (IGP) or his spokesperson should be contacted instead. Neither the IGP nor his spokesperson could be reached for comment despite repeated attempts.

According to the new rules, each division, department or office shall maintain a list of civil servants who have completed service specified in clause (i) of sub-section 1 of section 13 of the Civil Servant Act, which states that a civil servant shall retire from service on such date after he has completed 20 years of service qualifying for pension or other retirement benefits.

Published in Dawn, July 28th, 2020