Grade-20 officers: Promotions not given on basis of intelligence report, says AGP

Apex court told PM only referred summary regarding promotions to CSB.

ISLAMABAD: Attorney General for Pakistan (AGP) Salman Aslam Butt has told the Supreme Court that the prime minister did not promote grade-20 officers on the basis of intelligence agencies’ reports.

The three-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice Nasirul Mulk, has taken up the federal government’s two civil petitions against the Islamabad High Court (IHC) as well as Lahore High Court’s (LHC) verdicts, which directed the federal government to promote the officers in accordance with the recommendations of the Central Selection Board (CSB).

It is pertinent to mention that the CSB in February last year had recommended promotions of a number of officers from grade-20 to grade-21. The list included 44 officers of the Pakistan Administrative Services (PAS), 11 of the Police Service of Pakistan (PSP) and 20 officers of the Foreign Service (FO).

However, the PM office withheld promotion of 26 officers of PAS, six of PSP and eight of FO officers, and re-sent their names to the board for reconsideration.

Subsequently, the affected officers namely Aftab Ahmad Manika, Manzar Hayat and others had approached the IHC and the LHC through their counsel Asma Jahangir. Now the high courts’ verdicts have been challenged in the apex court by the Establishment Division.

During the hearing on Friday, AGP Salman Aslam Butt, on behalf of the Establishment Division, told the bench that the prime minister had referred the summary regarding the promotion of certain officers to the CSB for reconsideration by giving certain observations, adding that these observations were given on the basis of agencies’ reports.

Asma Jahangir, counsel for the respondents, stated that the reports did not doubt the integrity of these officers as there is no charge of corruption on them, adding that if the promotion of officers will be finalised on the basis of agencies’ reports then the CSB should be disbanded.

The chief justice asked if the agencies’ reports were also presented before the board. The AG replied that he is unaware whether the selection board considers the agencies reports or not before giving its recommendations.  The hearing of case is adjourned until February 9.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 31^st, 2015.