LAHORE: The promotion of three BS-20 police officers, including Lahore Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Umar Sheikh, may again hang in the balance as the Central Selection Board (CSB) is scheduled to meet in Islamabad on Jan 4 to decide the fate of 55 officers.

Deputy inspector general (DIG)-ranked officers Ahmad Ishaq Jahangir and retired Capt Feroze Shah were also among those whose cases would be reviewed for promotion. These three officers from the Police Service of Pakistan (PSP) were superseded by the previous selection board held in January this year.

On the other hand, two members of the upcoming selection board were also part of the previous CSB that had opposed the promotions of the abovementioned officials, including the CCPO, and also written strong dissenting remarks. Resultantly, the CSB had superseded the three officials.

An official privy to the information told Dawn that police circles believed that since the two dissenting members were part of the upcoming board meeting, there was a strong possibility they would stick to their earlier stance that could dim the chances of promotion of the three officers.

According to official documents (a copy of which is available with Dawn), the federal government recently notified the composition of the CSB. The co-opted members of the board reviewing the promotion cases of 55 police officers included all the serving BS-22 inspectors general of the police (IGP) of the provinces besides two others, according to the notification issued on Dec 23.

Of the three officers superseded the last time, CCPO Shiekh may face a tough time again as he reportedly planned to confront one of the two dissenting board members, the official said, with whom he had developed differences in September when he was accused of passing insulting remarks against the former. The differences led to the then IGP Dr Shoaib Dastagir stepping down.

Talking to Dawn, the CCPO demanded the higher authorities replace the two dissenting members of the CSB to make the promotion process transparent.

“There is no moral, ethical and legal ground to make them part of the upcoming board as both the BS-22 police officers already opposed my promotion and of two other colleagues,” Mr Sheikh said.

According to official documents, out of the 55 police officers, the cases of 35 would be considered for promotion from BS-19 to BS-20 and 22 from BS-20 to BS-21.

Published in Dawn, December 31st, 2020