Climbing the ladder: Police asked to keep posts vacant for six SPs

Promoted officers claim they are performing as SPs under rank of DSP.

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Monday directed the committee responsible for promotions in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) police department to keep six posts of superintendent police (SP) vacant for possible appointments in the future.

A two-member bench issued the instructions while hearing an application filed by six police officials shoulder promoted to SPs. The application was filed by SP Elite Force Haroon Rashid Baber, SP Mardan Haji Imtiaz, SP Investigation Hangu Shakirullah Banghash, DSP Mardan Akbar Ali, DSP Anayatullah and SP security Hidayatullah through their counsel Advocate Usman Khan Tarlandi.

“It was our right to be appointed on the posts of SPs under the seniority list because a junior officer named Shafiullah was [also] promoted to the post of SP. We are told to assume the posts of SPs, but our ranks are of deputy superintendent police (DSP),” read the application.

The court expressed displeasure over the police department’s failure to submit a reply the bench sought in the last hearing, asking the department to ensure compliance in the next hearing of the case.

After hearing the arguments, the court ordered the police department to keep the six posts vacant in case the department’s promotion committee decides to hire new SPs.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 13^th, 2013.