THIS is apropos the news report ‘SP fighting case of provincial cadre police transferred’ (Sept 2). It is not good for the image of Punjab Police hierarchy to punish a ranker officer who is merely pointing out the bleak promotion prospects of his cadre after the promulgation of the Police Order, 2002.

Time has proved that the said order is riddled with institutionalised bias that is woven into its fabric against ranker officers. Before the Police Order, the police department had dozens of legendary ranker officers who had risen up to professional heights and formed the steely core of the force.

Unfortunately, the Police Order does not permit any ranker officer to flourish anymore. A popular metaphor has thus popped up in the police department to the effect that officers coming through the Police Service of Pakistan (PSP) happen to be Noori, while the rankers are Naari, which in effect means that the PSPs are higher beings, like the angels, while the rankers have a devilish origin.

No such heartburning exists in the police force across the border in India which updated the 160-year-old Police Act, 1861, with the changing times. There is a need to rationalise the promotion and posting prospects of ranker officers compared to the PSP officers by learning from the development of promotion policy in the Indian police.

The Police Order 2002 has made the department extremely top-heavy by creating numerous superfluous posts in the rank of superintendent of police (SP).

All equivalent posts held in the Indian police by deputy superintendents of police (DSPs) have been unnecessarily upgraded to the SP level in Pakistan. Resultantly, a ranker DSP, even after promotion to the rank of SP, can be easily dumped into administrative black-holes, with only the very lucky ones ever getting a chance to be appointed district police officers (DPOs). Rankers can enjoy a short span of service in the rank before attaining the retirement age. The quota of provincial service officers in the SP rank is denied to them due to the PSP-dominated Central Police Offices (CPOs). The authentic seniority list of DSPs is not kept, resulting in delay in their promotions. The Punjab CPO last had an authentic seniority list in 2004 when the menace of Police Order 2002 had yet not taken roots.

In the police force of Indian Punjab and Chandigarh, a DSP with six years of service becomes eligible for promotion compared to a civil-service-cadre assistant superintendent of police (ASP), who must complete nine years of service for promotion to the junior administrative grade, which is equivalent to SP in Pakistan. Thus, the disadvantage of older age is compensated with shorter period of eligibility to create equal opportunities for the DSPs. Moreover, in case of delay in promotion, a DSP can be awarded ‘own rank promotion’, clearing him for posting as district SP.

The Recruitment Rules 1955 have mandated minimum 13 years of service for the promotion of civil-service-cadre officers to the ‘selection grade’, which is equivalent to senior superintendent of police (SSP) in Pakistan. This delay factor, too, creates opportunities for the ranker officers to compete on an equal footing.

The Indian police department strictly respects the right of the states — provinces in Pakistani terms — to regulate promotions and transfers of both the rankers and the cadre officers. Thus, no caderisation of rankers is necessary. Rankers and IPS officers with 13 years and 14 years of service as gazetted officers have equal opportunities of promotion, respectively, to ‘selection grade’ and ‘super time scale’; equivalent to deputy inspector-general (DIG) in Pakistan.

The caderisation of rankers in PSP causes loss of seniority to them and none can serve long enough to be promoted to SSP or DIG. It is, hence, necessary to provincialise promotions up to the rank of DIG in Pakistan, as is the case in India. Police is a provincial subject under the 18th Amendment. The Constitution should be followed in letter and in spirit.

Rafi Pervaiz Bhatti

Former PSP officer

Lahore

Published in Dawn, September 18th, 2021