ISLAMABAD:
Eight hundred and seventy-nine officers of the Sindh police, who had earlier been promoted under the pretext of shoulder promotions, were demoted by the Supreme Court on Monday.
The apex court gave the authorities a seven-day deadline to restore all the officials to their original ranks.
Shoulder promotion is police jargon for the recognised practice of promoting a police officer to the next rank by his superior officer. It is common practice in the police force for such promotions to be awarded to blue-eyed and influential police officers.
In the past, apart from shoulder promotions, honourary promotions have also been awarded to favourites based on their achievements and performance during their service.
During the suo motu case hearing regarding the shoulder promotions, senior judge Justice Javed Iqbal who was heading the division bench, asked the Establishment Division to submit a record of correspondence with the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) and Balochistan Inspector Generals of Police (IGPs) in connection with the promotions of high-ranking police officers in the provinces.
The bench summoned four provincial and federal IGPs. Except for IGP Sindh, the other three IGPs submitted before the court that no shoulder promotion case existed under their command.
During the course of hearing, IGP Sindh told the bench that a total number of 879 police officials were given shoulder promotions. Terming the situation alarming, Justice Iqbal said that the suo motu notice was not taken to demoralise the police but to safeguard their rights.
IGP Islamabad told the bench that no policeman in the capital had been elevated under the pretext of shoulder promotion, and neither was there an officer on special duty (OSD) in the capital.
IGP Punjab submitted that there was no shoulder promotion case in Punjab because 47 Superintendents of the Police (SPs), as well as 33 Inspectors, were demoted in pursuance of the apex court’s previous orders.
The bench was told that a large number of police officials avoided delivering in Balochistan due to the existing situation in the province, adding that the officers in question preferred to continue their services in other provinces using personal links. The IGP Balochistan added that five police officers were appointed in the province just recently.
IGP K-P informed the bench that there was a dire need for senior police officials in the province because the Grade 20 posts were lying vacant in the department, adding that he had personally asked many officers to perform their duties in K-P but none were willing to. However, he told the bench that there had been no response from the federal government despite repeated requests to depute senior police officials in the province.
The court adjourned the hearing till Tuesday (today).
The Supreme Court was petitioned in 2010 by 34 SPs from Punjab against the policy of shoulder promotions that is in clear violation of honourary promotions.
On March 8, the court passed an interim order in the case directing the IGP Punjab to end the policy of shoulder promotions. As a result, the IGP Punjab demoted three ASPs and 44 DSPs, who were working under the posts of SPs [within their own pay scales].
The court also sought details of the officers who were awarded shoulder promotions from the rest of the IG’s of the provinces.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 12th, 2011.
COMMENTS (1)
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Mr. Qaiser your report is incomplete unless you do not mention the names of these Policemen. People in Sindh need to know the names of these favorites.