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KARACHI, Oct 30: Courtesy the Chief Minister House, October has witnessed a record number of police promotions despite a petition pending with the Sindh High Court regarding out of turn promotions and another at the Supreme Court seeking the cancellation of illegal promotions.
With just a few weeks left in the transition to an interim setup and a caretaker government, the jockeying for promotion amongst police officials has picked up pace. Sources informed Dawn that “certain elements close to the chief minister house are spreading the word about being able to obtain clearance from the offices of the provincial police officer (PPO) and the chief secretary, and the issuance of notifications on the summaries related to the promotions of police officials.”
Referring to the motives fuelling this apparent generosity, sources pointed out that “obviously, all these services don’t come without a price” and remarked that even the PPO Sindh appeared helpless in face of the CM House’s race against time.
‘Legal requirements absent’
Official records prove that at least four police officers were promoted this month. Heading the list is the personnel staff officer of the Sindh Chief Minister, DSP Ijaz Ahmed Sheikh, whose promotion notification [DSP to SP] was issued on October 2.
A notification concerning the promotion of DSP Waqar Malah was issued on October 8, while similar notifications for DSP Noor-ul Haq Rind and DSP Sajid Ali Shah were issued on October 22 and 25 respectively.
A meeting regarding the induction of the Police Service Pakistan (PSP) cadre was scheduled for October 29 but postponed for reasons best known to the Chief Minister House. Sources informed Dawn that the list of candidates did not include the name of Ijaz Ahmed Sheikh, following his promotion to the rank of SP. However, they concluded, “the list in the next meeting will no doubt carry Mr Sheikh’s name.”
“Under Section 9(a) of the Sindh Civil Service Act, 1973, the chief minister has the power to grant promotion on the basis of an act of gallantry,” sources told Dawn. “However, this requirement is missing in all the summaries that have been approved for promotions.”
‘Favouritism and nepotism’
Meanwhile, DSP Nazir Ahmed Mirbahar has moved the Supreme Court of Pakistan seeking the “cancellation of illegal promotions made under Section 9(a) of the Sindh Civil Service Act of 1973, and the postponement of these officers’ incadrement [sic] into the PSP cadre.”
In his petition, DSP Mirbahar stated that he was appointed to the rank of DSP in the Sindh police in 1990. He submitted that the provincial government has since 2003 been promoting its blue-eyed boys under the pretext of good performance although the same section [9(a) SCS, 1973] clearly states that an officer can be awarded out-of-turn promotion only if he performs an act that is above and beyond his call of duty.
DSP Mirbahar maintained in his petition that the law was being used as a tool for favouritism and nepotism, examples being the promotions of Ali Raza of PSO1 and Ijaz Sheikh of PSO2 of the chief minister Sindh, and Waqar Malah and Noor-ul Haq Rind to the rank of SP. DSP Mirbahar submitted that the PSOs have also been given antedated seniority. He requested that the Sindh government be directed to cancel these illegal promotions and postpone their encadrement into the Police Service of Pakistan, which had been scheduled for October 29.—S. Raza Hassan
