The race to 21: Arguments over maintainability of petitions on Thursday

Suspended IGP, FC commandant challenge police officers’ promotions to grade 21.

ISLAMABAD: Next Thursday, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) will hear arguments on the maintainability of petitions challenging police officers’ promotions from BPS-20 to BPS-21.

In the previous hearing, the court had granted a stay on the promotions in Police Service of Pakistan (PSP) recommended by the Central Selection Board (CSB), after multiple petitioners moved the court to challenge the CSB decisions.

Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui had stayed the promotions while hearing petitions filed by suspended Islamabad IGP Aftab Ahmed Cheema, Frontier Constabulary (FC) Deputy Commandant Ghaniur Rehman Wazir and others.

The petitioners have listed the establishment secretary, CSB chairman, Federal Public Service Commission chairman and several police officials as respondents.

On Friday, the court clubbed the petitions together and adjourned the case till May 28.

Cheema was suspended for disobeying government orders to use force against violent protesters during the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and the Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) sit-in last year. Disciplinary proceedings against him are still pending.

The suspended IGP, through his counsel Hafiz SA Rehman, has challenged the CSB’s recommendation to promote Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Additional IGP Tariq Javed to grade 21.

Cheema has alleged that promotions were being made on pick and choose basis rather than on merit. He added that even the pendency of disciplinary proceedings against him did not debar the CSB from considering him for promotion.

Wazir’s counsel Masroor Shah contended that his client, who had unblemished service record and led several successful operations against terrorists, has been ignored for promotion while his juniors were promoted to grade-21.

He maintained that the officials who superseded Wazir have faced inquiries in accountability courts for alleged corruption in arms purchases and some even entered voluntary return (VR) settlements with the National Accountability Bureau.

Shah contended that vesting 15 marks in the CSB amounted to veto power under which the members of the board could simply brush aside entire service record and ACRs of an officer and recommend his supersession.

The case will be taken up on May 28.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 23^rd, 2015.