FBR delays promotion of 85 officers
Staff worried as meeting could not be held for third time.
ISLAMABAD:
A meeting of the Federal Board of Revenue’s (FBR) promotion committee to decide the cases of 85 officers was postponed for the third time earlier this week, due to the prevailing uncertainty and political impasse in the wake of sit-ins in front of the Parliament House.
The officers, whose promotions have been consistently delayed, belong to the Inland Revenue and Customs wings of the FBR and work in Grade-18 and 19. A new date for the next meeting of the committee is yet to be announced.
Sources told the Express Investigation Cell that the Departmental Promotion Committee was scheduled to meet on Monday, but clashes between protesters and the police and uncertainty in public offices led to its cancellation.
Before that, the committee was to go into the huddle on Friday last week. The officers were very dejected as they had been waiting for announcement of their promotions for the past one month.
The promotion committee comprises not only senior officers of the FBR including its chairman and member administration, but also includes representatives of the Establishment Division and law ministry. Presence of all members is a must to decide on the promotion cases.
The officers were worried that if the government caved in to the pressure from the protesting parties – the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and Pakistan Awami Tehreek, their cases could drag on for months.
Nobody was available in the FBR for comments on the development.
The persistent political uncertainty had not only disturbed the power corridors, but also worried the higher bureaucracy in the capital, who feared that their important tasks could get affected by the dispute and protests over alleged election rigging, sources said.
Moreover, most of the senior officers, working at offices situated on the Constitution Avenue and nearby, have either gone on leave or been unable to report to work because of extensive road closures.
Most of the bureaucrats were either found to be discussing the expected outcome of the deadlock or seemed to be in a hurry to complete their tasks, particularly those that need approval of the Prime Minister’s Secretariat, sources added.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 4th, 2014.
A meeting of the Federal Board of Revenue’s (FBR) promotion committee to decide the cases of 85 officers was postponed for the third time earlier this week, due to the prevailing uncertainty and political impasse in the wake of sit-ins in front of the Parliament House.
The officers, whose promotions have been consistently delayed, belong to the Inland Revenue and Customs wings of the FBR and work in Grade-18 and 19. A new date for the next meeting of the committee is yet to be announced.
Sources told the Express Investigation Cell that the Departmental Promotion Committee was scheduled to meet on Monday, but clashes between protesters and the police and uncertainty in public offices led to its cancellation.
Before that, the committee was to go into the huddle on Friday last week. The officers were very dejected as they had been waiting for announcement of their promotions for the past one month.
The promotion committee comprises not only senior officers of the FBR including its chairman and member administration, but also includes representatives of the Establishment Division and law ministry. Presence of all members is a must to decide on the promotion cases.
The officers were worried that if the government caved in to the pressure from the protesting parties – the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and Pakistan Awami Tehreek, their cases could drag on for months.
Nobody was available in the FBR for comments on the development.
The persistent political uncertainty had not only disturbed the power corridors, but also worried the higher bureaucracy in the capital, who feared that their important tasks could get affected by the dispute and protests over alleged election rigging, sources said.
Moreover, most of the senior officers, working at offices situated on the Constitution Avenue and nearby, have either gone on leave or been unable to report to work because of extensive road closures.
Most of the bureaucrats were either found to be discussing the expected outcome of the deadlock or seemed to be in a hurry to complete their tasks, particularly those that need approval of the Prime Minister’s Secretariat, sources added.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 4th, 2014.