ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has set aside the stay against the promotion of officers of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), allowing the high powered selection board to consider suitable candidates for BS-22.

The petition was filed by BS-21 officer Shah Bano Ghaznavi, who appeared in the court with her counsel.

During the hearing, the FBR informed the court that it had issued a notification on March 13 following the petition.

Justice Khan stated that since the promotion process had not been completed, the court was ending the stay order, thereby enabling the board to make its decisions.

Speaking to the media outside the courtroom, Shah Bano Ghaznavi claimed that the case was not against the FBR chairman but rather the Prime Minister’s Secretariat and the Secretary Establishment Division, both of whom, she alleged, failed to respond to her petition.

She further accused the administration of using active positions as a means to block officers’ promotions, stating that she had been placed in such a role for seven years and later denied promotion based on performance evaluations. “There are hundreds of officers in Pakistan who are deliberately kept in active positions to stall their career progression,” she said.

Ms Ghaznavi also criticised what she described as a politically influenced promotion system, where officers who refuse to comply with political interests are sidelined. “Those who do not sell their conscience or faith do not receive even their rightful promotions,” she stated.

She alleged that OPS (acting) officers are running key FBR operations, while qualified officers remain overlooked. “For the past 30 years, the system has been functioning on an ad hoc basis. If an officer challenges the process in court, they are accused of violating others’ rights,” she added.

Published in Dawn, March 15th, 2025