The retired officers of Pakistan Administrative Service (PAS) and Police Service of Pakistan (PSP) on Friday lauded the government's new Rotation Policy 2019, but stressed the need to ensure transparency in transfer and postings of officers belonging to these cadres.
Talking to Business Recorder, former Inspector General Police (IGP) of Motorway Police Zulfiqar Ahmad Cheema, said that it is very good initiative but there should be no 'pick and choose' policy in transfer of PAS and PSP officers to provinces outside their domicile province.
"This policy has been there from day-one, but there were problems in its implementation. The government must ensure transparency while posting the officers belonging to these groups," he added.
He said that meritocracy should be the top priority to ensure that officers belonging to PAS and PSP or any other group may carry out their duties without any pressure.
"Again framing of policies will not work, as posting of officers of PAS, PAS and of all other CSS cadres to serve outside their province of domicile was already there, but the issue was in implementation in letter and spirit," he added.
Ghulam Muhammad, a retired PAS officer concurred and said unless merit is ensured in transfer and posting of the officers belonging to Administrative Service and Police Service, the government's efforts to bring institutional change will not bear any fruit.
"The government should make sure that there will be no political interference and all transfer and postings be made on merit like in the military where there is no concept of personal likes and dislikes," he said. He said that majority of PAS and PSP officers have no objection to being posted out of their province of domicile, but there are also officers, in DMG and PSP, who have been serving in either Islamabad or their domicile provinces for the last twenty years; and they should not be promoted to BPS-21 unless they serve in stations outside their home provinces.
In its new Rotation Policy 2019, the federal government has decided that an officer will not be considered eligible for promotion to BS-21 by Central Selection Board if he/she has been serving in the same post continuously for more than 10 years. To get promotion to grade 21, it is being made mandatory that the officer must serve outside his/her home province for at least one year.
Officers serving in a government continuously for 10 years will not be eligible for nomination to mandatory trainings, foreign trainings, study leave, extraordinary leave and long leave unless their continuous stay in a particular province is broken as per the policy. Wedlock policy shall not apply to PAS/PSP officers in relaxation of Rotation Policy; but spouses of these officers shall be posted closest to the place of posting of PAS/PSP officers and not vice versa.