Promoting economist group officials: Planning ministry proving to be a hurdle

Letter to PM fails to go through, pleas falling on deaf ears

ISLAMABAD:

Ministry of Planning, Development and Reform, which has been entrusted to introduce civil service reforms in the country, has failed to protect lawful interests of the economist group - the backbone of the ministry, as the group’s officers have been denied their due promotions and postings.

After denying the group its due right of a grade-22 post last year - the highest pay scale in the civil service - the government is now reluctant to promote officers to grade-21 posts and appoint chiefs in grade 20 against five posts of the group.



The situation has become so acute that the economist group has complained to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Ironically, the letter could not go through courtesy the same vested elements that have been blocking the promotions.

Timeline of events

On January 20, the economist group sent a plea to Secretary of the Ministry of Planning, Development and Reform with a request to forward it to the premier for sympathetic consideration. The secretary marked the appeal to his Joint Secretary administration who is now sitting on the file.

As part of improving governance and service delivery, PM Sharif had mandated Planning Minister, Ahsan Iqbal, to undertake civil service reforms. However, instead of pushing administrative changes, the Minister approved a billion rupee project in the name of civil service reforms. He is also allegedly backing officials who are proving to be hurdles in the way of promoting economist group officers.

The economist group is one of the technocratic groups constituted under the Civil Service Reforms of 1973. The group is responsible for making annual and five-year economic plans - a job that has also been practically snatched by the Ministry of Finance. The Planning Ministry’s prepared plans are not given due consideration by the Finance Ministry.



It is the second time in the tenure of the present government that the Economist Group is agitating. A former Secretary Planning played a role in curtailing powers of the office of chief economist of Pakistan.

Letter to PM

In its appeal to PM, the economist group has claimed that its fundamental constitutional right is violated by denying it promotions. In the last central selection board (CSB) meeting, the group’s officers were not considered for promotions against two posts of additional secretary in basic pay scale 21. The seats had been reserved for the group aimed at improving governance and economic decision making through induction of professional economists in civil service of Pakistan.

The last CSB meetings held in May and the Planning Ministry deliberately delayed the cases of the eligible officers. The Planning Ministry sent the cases of four eligible officers Dr Ali Bat, Rai Nasir Ali Khan, Masoodul Hasan Qureshi and Dr Muhammad Afzal on May 6 - two days after the meetings of the CSB began that continued till May 8.

However, the promotion cases were not considered by the CSB, violating the group’s fundamental right, claims the Economist Group in the appeal to the PM. Additionally, the group has again requested the PM to direct CSB to consider the promotion of the Economists Group officers against reserved two posts of additional secretaries with effect from May 4-8, 2015.

The group’s officers said that promotion cases of BS-17 to 18 and BS-18 to 19 are also not considered for one reason or another. Officers demanded that the joint secretary administration post of the Planning Ministry should be given to neutral officials from the establishment division.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 21^st, 2016.

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