Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday expressed displeasure with the Establishment Division for not presenting a reply regarding the promotions case of 93 bureaucrats.

Giving one day’s more time to the division, the bench adjourned the case till Wednesday.

Justice Aamir Farooq of the IHC heard the case regarding alleged nepotism and the likes & dislikes policy in the recent promotions of about 400 officers filed by the officers of different service groups.

A joint secretary of the Establishment Division appeared before the court and requested the bench to grant ten days time to the division to submit a reply in the case.

Justice Farooq remarked if you have no reply then have you come here to walk?

The court directed the division to produce the record in the case on the next date of hearing and adjourned the case.

It may be mentioned here that 93 bureaucrats have moved a petition in the IHC against the Establishment Divisio’s refusal to share the minutes of the CSB meeting.

The officers said, “Nepotism and a policy of personal likes and dislikes was adopted in the current promotions which disclosed the baseless claims of the government for ensuring the supremacy of merit as 93 officers were not promoted despite the recommendation of the CSB which is the competent forum.”

They claimed that the Principle Secretary to the PM Fawad Hassan Fawad had played a key role in depriving the eligible officers from getting promoted.

The officers said that Fawad and the CSB head Naveed Akram Cheema were at loggerheads. Cheema is also the Federal Public Service Commission Chairman.

They added that Fawad had tried to intervene in the affairs of the FPSC but Cheema gave him a cold shoulder. Several officers of BPS-19 and BPS-20 had met the officers of the Establishment Division to get information about the reasons under which they could not be promoted, an official said.

Officials of the Federal Board of Revenue claimed that former FBR chairman Nisar Muhammad Khan had presented the cases of those officers having strong links with big guns.

The government had promoted 405 officers of BPS 19 and 20 while 94 officers were not promoted regardless of the fact that their names were recommended by the CSB.

Sources said that the Intelligence Bureau had given negative reports about some of the officers but a number of officers who were given a clean chit by the IB were also ignored by the PM. According to a PSP officer, a strong lobby in the PM’s House played a vital role in this regard.

Another official said the government had no solid reason to stop their promotions. He claimed that the PM had promoted the husband of State Minister for Health Saira Afzal Tarar from BPS-20 to BPS-21.

Likewise, the nephew of opposition leader Khursheed Shah, Rafeh Bashir was promoted from BPS-19 to BPS-20.