Promotions of BPS 19, 20 officers: Central Selection Boards of FPSC to meet on December 31

The Central Selection Board of Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC) is scheduled to meet on December 31, 2010 and January 1, 2011 to consider the promotion of BPS 19 and BPS 20 officers to the next grade. Chairman of the FPSC Justice Rana Bhagwandas (Retd), who is also the Chairman of CSB, will preside over the meeting.
The meeting will also be attended by the members of CSB that include Secretary Establishment, IGPs, Chief Secretaries and other officers of Grade 22. The meeting of CSB has not been held since September last year following Supreme Court's orders on the prime minister's decision to promote 54 bureaucrats to grade 22 on April 27 this year. A number of deserving bureaucrats have retired during the period. The new rules were formulated in August on the directives of the Supreme Court.
The general performance criteria to be considered by the CSB include Annual Confidential Reports (ACRs) of the officers and the report from the institution of Senior Management Course (SMC) at National School of Public Policy, Lahore, where the officers get regular training.
Masud Daher, an ex bureaucrat said that ACR is considered as a basic document on the basis of which officers are assessed for promotion. However, he said, there is a general tendency for the supervisory officer not to write adverse remarks in any ACR as this often leads to personal enmity.
He said that the promotion criteria needs to be modified and general reputation as well as perception should be included in the process. Often, Masud said, officers known for corruption and misconduct have favourable ACRs. This time selection of officers for promotion would be a challenge for CSB as many officers who have been currently under inquiry in National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and named in other malpractices are also waiting for promotion.
NAB has been inquiring in the FC recruitment scam and Rs 6 billion arms purchase scam in Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa; Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has been conducting investigations in Hajj scandal as well as other inquiries involving corruption of on duty officers.
For instance, along with many others CSB will also consider promotion of Director Administration FIA Inam Ghani who reportedly had a good ACR, despite being named in the case of misappropriation of seized smuggled goods when he was SSP Peshawar. Then IGP Riffat Pasha had conducted an inquiry against Inma Ghani and subsequently he was transferred out of police service.
Other examples include DIG Hazara Dr Muhammad Suleman, Additional IG Wadood Shah and Deputy Commandant Frontier Constabulary Ghani-ur-Rehman. They all were promoted from BPS 19 to 20 despite being suspended and under ongoing inquiries. Once again their cases are in front of CSB for promotion from BPS 20 to BPS 21. Dr Muhammad Suleman is again named in Rs 6 billion arms purchase scam in KP as he was DIG police headquarters when the arms were purchased. NAB has launched an inquiry that includes him along with other 32 police officers in the arms purchase scam.
Former bureaucrats are of the opinion that the CSB should also consider inquiries conducted against officials and their general reputation when considering them for promotion. It remains to be seen whether the CSB would only consider the ACRs and marks given by National School of Public Policy or consider other factors like their involvement in corruption or mal practices.