ISLAMABAD, Oct 7: The policy of extension to the service of senior retiring officers of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has become a stumbling block in promotion of scores of juniors for the last few years, sources in the Establishment Division told Dawn.

At present, junior officers serving in BPS-17 and 18 in the commission are frustrated and disappointed. They are too near to promotion but still too far away. This has created an air of complete disillusion in the commission.

The practice of appointing officers on contract on the same posts which they occupy at the time of their retirement has provided an opportunity to some senior officers to enjoy perks and privileges for longer. But those who are in the pipeline for promotion to these posts have to wait for years.

A number of the ECP employees waiting for promotion told Dawn that most of the officers reappointed on contractual basis were serving in BPS-19.

On the other hand, they added, some very important posts were lying vacant. The ECP had four members, one from each province besides the chief election commissioner. These members were judges of the high courts, they added.

However, the seats of the members from NWFP and Balochistan have been lying vacant — the former for the last two years and the latter for one year.

Similarly, the seat of the joint secretary local government elections is vacant for the last few months after the promotion of Sono Khan Baloch to the post of provincial election commissioner Balochistan. A joint secretary, Sher Afghan, is now the additional in-charge of the post.

At present, there are ten officers in grade 19 who will retire next year. But many juniors believe that these officers will be reemployed on the same posts on contractual basis for two years.

To the utter shock of many junior officers, this year the commission has not sent their names to the Establishment Division for attending management training courses at the National Institute of Public Administration (NIPA), Lahore.

Such courses are a must for officers to be promoted from grade 18/19 to 20 and 21. Normally, the names are sent to the Establishment Division well before October.

“If junior officers are not sent on NIPA courses, they will have to continue serving in the same capacity,” said a disappointed officer.

He said next year ten senior officers would reach the retirement age or their reemployment contracts would expire. This has created a ray of hope for the junior officers but there were strong possibilities of extension in the services of the senior officers as some of them were already retired and serving on contract. Extending the contract was just a matter of time, they added.

Ayaz Mohammad Baig, provincial election commission, Punjab, reached the age of retirement in March last year. But his service was extended on the same post for two years on contract basis. His contract will expire in March next year. Iftikhar Hussain Shah, deputy secretary, got one-year’s extension on contract after reaching the age of retirement in March this year.

The two-year re-employment contract of K. M. Dilshad, secretary of the election commission, ended on September 13 this year but his service was extended for another two years. He had retired on August 14, 2005, and got extension for two years.

Iftikhar Ahmed Qureshi, joint secretary elections, R.B. Jan Wahedi, joint secretary (administration), and Imran Siddiqui, joint PEC, Sindh, will retire in June next year.

Chaudhry Qamaruzzaman, PEC, Sindh, and Javed Khurshid, joint secretary (budget), will reach retirement age in October next year.

Sources said deputy secretary (administration) Mohammad Saleem will reach retirement age in August, while Asmat Malik, deputy secretary (budget) will retire in February.

The sources said the next few months were very important for the junior officers waiting for promotions.