ISLAMABAD: The Central Selec­tion Board (CSB) is likely to convene before Eidul Azha to review the promotion of more than 600 bureaucrats to grades BS-19 to BS-21.

Sources in the Establishment Division said the date of the CSB’s meeting may be finalised sometime next week. The board will examine 250 bureaucrats from BS-18 to BS-20 of the Pakistan Administration Service (PAS), the Police Service of Pakistan (PSP) and the Secretariat Group. Around 400 officers of other occupational groups will also be considered for promotion.

An official told Dawn that the Career Planning Section of the Establishment Division has shared the details of all officers being considered for promotion with Inter-Ser­vi­ces Intelligence (ISI) and the Intel­ligence Bureau (IB), as is practice.

It is worth recalling that Prime Mi­­n­ister Shehbaz Sharif had recently notified the ISI as the official vetting agency for promotions of civil officers.

Three BS-22 bureaucrats given new posts

The practice had been in place for about two decades, but the incumbent government gave it legal cover by issuing a formal notification to this effect.

In the past, officers whose promotions were withheld on the basis of ad­­verse reports from intelligence agencies, had moved the courts to get relief.

In 2015, the superior courts had — noting that intelligence reports had no legal standing — directed the government to promote 20 officers who were promoted by the CSB, but whose promotions were withheld by the then prime minister based on agency reports.

Likewise, in 2017, the promotion of over 90 officers had been withheld because of negative feedback from intelligence agencies.

Meanwhile, the Establishment Division on Wednesday issued the posting and transfer orders of three federal secretaries.

According to the notifications, Zul­fiqar Haider, a BS-22 officer of Pak­is­tan Administrative Service (PAS) wor­­­king as special secretary in Pet­ro­leum Division, has been transferred as secretary, Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resources Development Division. As special secretary, he was not enjoying the authority of federal secretary while in his new assignment he will be in charge of the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis.

His predecessor Ishrat Ali, a BS-22 officer from the PAS, has been directed to report to the Estab­lishment Division. He was posted as secretary of Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis by the previous regime.

Another BS-22 officer from the PAS, Zafar Hasan, who was working as secretary, National Heritage and Culture Division, has been posted to the Ministry of National Food Security and Research Division.

Published in Dawn, June 16th, 2022