Election Commission of Pakistan. PHOTO: AFP
In a joint notification, the ECP also appointed two officers to senior posts of director general Elections and additional secretary.
Curiously, all of these appointees will remain on probation for an extended period of time that may stretch up to three years. Critics claim the move may compromise the independence of these officers while performing their duties.
According to a notification, Musarrat Khan — a BPS-20 officer of the body — was promoted to BPS-21 and appointed as the provincial election commissioner of K-P. He had already been serving as K-P’s acting provincial election commissioner.
Similarly, the electoral body promoted Tanveer Zaki — another grade 20 officer of ECP — as a BPS-21 officer and handed the charge of Sindh provincial election commissioner. Zaki had previously been working as joint Election Commissioner Sindh.
Zafar Iqbal, who was working as director general in BPS-20 has been promoted to grade 21 and handed responsibilities of additional secretary Training and Evaluation.
Naeem Majeed Jaffar, a BPS-20 officer has been promoted to BPS-21 and posted as director general Elections, one of the most crucial posts in ECP. Jaffar was working as the joint provincial election commissioner Balochistan.
“All the above officers who have been promoted will be on probation for a period of one year with effect from the date they assume charge of their posts,” the ECP notification read.
“If no order is issued on expiry of the first year of probation, the period of probation shall be deemed to have been extended to another year. If no order issued by the day following the termination of the extended period of probation, the appointment shall be deemed to be held by them until further orders,” reads the last but contentious paragraph of the notification.
Except ECP no other government institution includes such conditions when they promote senior bureaucrats.
However, the ECP defended the change of rules.
“We will watch their [new appointees] performance and keep an eye on them. Provincial election commissioners hold key importance in all ECP matters related to provinces,” Babar Yaqoob Fateh Muhammad, secretary ECP, told The Express Tribune. He further explained that the commission is adopting a carrot and stick policy to improve performances of the ECP bureaucracy.
He added that the probation conditions were carefully inculcated in ECP’s service rules over the past year after due deliberations to ensure evolution of every senior officer’s performances.
When asked if such conditional promotions will affect the independence of senior officers, he rejected the impression adding that he meets with provincial election commissioners twice a month.
Muhammed further said that previously people from other departments used to be brought into the ECP and then promoted. This meant officers originally assigned to ECP were pushed down the pecking order.
“This [promotion] is being done keeping in mind the 2018 general elections. We want to have a team of 12-15 senior officers from within ECP ready to undertake all tasks related to elections,” he said.
He further explained that the promotions were finalised while keeping in mind that no province is neglected.
“The four officers promoted today, each belong to one province. Now we have two BPS-21 officers in ECP from Balochistan, which is unprecedented,” he stated.
He added that over 50 officers of different cadres will be promoted and transferred in the coming days.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 30th, 2016.
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