KARACHI, Nov 7: Sindh Chief Minister Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim has summoned a meeting to resolve the controversy over promotion formula between the officers of the Provincial Civil Services and Provincial Secretariat Services (PSS) which has been resulting in indiscipline and becoming a hurdle in good governance.

Sources said an attempt of the Sindh chief secretary to redress the grievances of its Provincial Civil Service officers is being resisted by Provincial Secretariat Services (PSS) officers as they insist on continuation of sharing formula for promotions altered in their favour in 1992.

Under this formula, their share was enhanced from 25 per cent to 75 per cent on the basis of an interim order of the then chief minister.

The chief secretary, following many representations made by the PCS officers to the governor and the chief minister, has constituted a committee, headed by senior member Board of Revenue Anwar Haider, a senior officer of the federal government, with two members from each group to resolve the issue. The chairman of the committee, after going through their point of view, has recommended a new sharing formula which has deprived the PCS group of 35 seats. However, their group has welcomed the Anwar Haider formula as a step towards mitigating their grievances.

But the PSS group, which has a clear advantage of 200 per cent since 1992 when the share of merit holder PCS was tilted in their favour, did not want to give up this tilt in their share, a representative of the stake-holder pointed out.

The PSS service was essentially a secretariat service while those qualified for PCS are trained in administration, judicial and other field assignments.

The unchecked dominance of PSS officers in Sindh Secretariat since last 15 years has resulted in expansion in their share of seats in provincial services from 25 per cent until 1992 to 55 per cent for PSS and reducing the PCS share from 75 per cent to 45 per cent.

The ratio was further altered to 25:75 for PCS and PSS respectively in 1998 through an interim order to promote Ibrahim Soomro (late) who worked as additional chief secretary to the chief minister.