Promotion cases: IHC declares PM’s order null & void

WAQAR LILLAH

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday declared the Prime Minister’s order that he issued to the Central Selection Board (CSB) to review the promotion cases of as many as 27 senior bureaucrats null and void.

Chief Justice IHC Justice Muhammad Anwar Khan Kasi heard a petition filed by bureaucrats, who were recommended by the CSB for promotion, but the PM ordered the CSB to review their promotion cases.

The petitioners Aftab Ahmad Maneka, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Climate Change, Abdul Jalil Joint Secretary, Ministry of Religious Affairs, Rashid Bashir Mazari a BS-20 officer, Mohammad Aslam Hayat Member (Judicial) Board of Revenue Government of Sindh, Mukhtar Hussain Soomro Chairman Enquiries and Anti-Corruption Establishment Sindh, Iqbal Ahmed Bablani Provincial Census Commissioner Sindh, Mohammad Masood Khan Afridi Additional Inspector General (IG) Special Branch Government of KPK, Amir Hamza Mahsud Additional IG KPK, Burhanul Islam Additional Secretary (West Asia) Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mohammad Aslam Khan Additional Secretary in Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Mohammad Aqil Nadeem Additional Secretary in Foreign Service of Pakistan filed a petition through their counsel Asma Jahangir.

During the course of proceedings, the court ordered that bureaucrats should be promoted according to the recommendations of CSB.

Asma apprised the court that CSB in February 2014, recommended a large number of officers from six different service groups for promotion from BPS-20 to BPS-21.

The CSB had recommended promotion of 44 DMG, 11 police and 21 foreign service officials in February 2014; however, the PM Nawaz Sharif had ordered to review promotion cases of 18 officials of Administrative Services, 5 Police Service and 4 Foreign Service, she added. The Supreme Court has already said that CSB is a semi-judicial forum; hence the recommendations of the CSB should not be taken lightly by the Competent Authority which in view of the foregoing have great sanctity attached to it, she argued.

She pleaded before the court to set aside the PM’s order and issue a direction to the federal government to confirm the recommendations of the CSB regarding the promotions of petitioners.

The CJ annulled the PM’s order to the CSB to review the promotion cases and remarked that constitution and rule of law was above any personality and position.