ISLAMABAD, Feb 4: Bureaucrats are up in arms against a newly added time clause in the promotion policy from BS-20 to BS-21, threatening legal action if their concerns are not addressed.
The additions to the promotion policy, approved by Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf, are being seen as pro-District Management Group – the most pampered of all the occupational groups – and being detrimental to the career prospects of civil servants in 10 other groups.
The groups to be most affected by the new requirements include Office Management, Information, Income Tax, Customs, Accounts, Military Lands and Cantonment, Commerce, Railways and Postal Services.
The establishment division last week notified the amended policy with an additional requirement of at least three-year service in BS-20, excluding the period spent in training, as an eligibility criterion for promotion.
“The condition of having three years of service (excluding the period spent on training and leave) in BS-20 shall also be applicable to all promotions to BS-21 of the officers of all occupational groups / services/ ex-cadre as a mandatory stay,” the notification said.
While the bureaucrats consider the condition unjustified because of not getting promotions on time, unlike the DMG, Foreign Service and Police, they are particularly upset over exclusion of the period spent in training on the government’s nominations for the MCMC, SMC, NMC and NDU, which they say is part of their service.
The controversy has arisen ahead of a meeting of the Central Selection Board scheduled for Feb 11-12 to fill 21 vacancies in BS-21.
Affected officers believe the additional requirement is in violation of Articles 27 and 240 of the Constitution; the Civil Servants Act and Rules of Business.
They said no consultation had been done either with the controlling ministries of the affected occupational groups or the Law Ministry which was mandatory while making such significant changes in the service structure.
The affected officers also met the prime minister to convey their reservations. An officer present at the meeting quoted the premier as having asked Establishment Secretary Taimur Azmat Osman: “Why don’t you care about your fellows?”
The officers insist that the prime minister has been “duped” by the establishment division into signing the summary.
“Asif Sheikh, the Joint Secretary who initiated the summary for PM’s approval, has cheated him by not disclosing that terms and conditions of the civil servants at mid- and upper-career levels cannot be changed without changing the basic structure of the Civil Servants Act of 1973 through an amendment tabled in parliament,” an officer said.
The affected officers have accused Mr Sheikh of making additions in the promotion policy in order to enable his personal promotion to BS-21.