Incentive to work: Over 3,500 policemen to rejoice promotions

Law enforcers admit they were not expecting higher ranks given the recent demotions.

KARACHI:

More than 3,500 police officials will be promoted to higher ranks according to a notification issued by the department’s promotions committee, The Express Tribune has learnt.

The notification to promote constables to head constables and ASIs came a short while after several higher officials in the department were demoted when Supreme Court dismissed their promotions as out-of-turn.

After a long time and a series of demotions, around 847 policemen were promoted to sub-inspector ranks from assistant sub-inspectors through the promotions committee in the last week of the July. This was  the first phase of promotions.



In the second phase, the committee - headed by Karachi AIG Ghulam Qadir Thebu, Administration DIG Bashir Memon and Headquarters DIG Sanaullah Abbasi - issued notifications to promote around 2,000 police constables to head constables and around 1,700 head constables to ASI ranks. “I am glad to inform you that these deserving policemen have now been promoted to their next slot of ranks,” DIG Memon told The Express Tribune. “These policemen were promoted on the basis of their date of appointment, following the court instructions.”



Accepting the department’s decision, the policemen who are now enjoying higher posts are really happy. “It is hard to believe as I have been promoted after a long time,” said Muhammad Imran, who was appointed in the police department in 1988 and has now been promoted to an ASI rank. “I thought I or my colleagues will never be promoted. We were disheartened when we saw a series of demotions of our seniors.”

Their promotions through a DPC have encouraged the newly promoted policemen and they have decided to serve for the department with more passion. “My department did a good job,” said Haider Ali, who has now been promoted to a head constable rank. “Now it’s my turn to do a good job.”

There are, however, 324 policemen who are upset over the DPC’s decision as they have not been promoted this time. “We deserve the promotion as we have qualified Intermediate and the course for the promotion,” said an unhappy policeman. “Our juniors have been promoted but they [DPC officials] refused to promote us.”

A few of them even warned they will go to court if the department refuses to believe they deserve higher ranks. “They [committee officials] made lame excuses that we are not qualified on a seniority basis as our results were issued late,” complained another policeman. “Of course, we will move the court if our department does not do justice with us.”

On the other hand, DIG Memon - who is part of the promotions committee - promised that the department will do justice with everyone. “There are strict instructions of the court to promote policemen on the basis of the date of appointment and IG sahib also asked us to follow those instructions,” he explained. “Earlier, policemen were being promoted on the basis of their qualifications and the courses they took in the past, which was wrong and we do not want to repeat that mistake.” DIG Memon assured, however, that these remaining policemen will be promoted soon.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 21^st, 2013.