ISLAMABAD, Mar 03 (NNI): The Establishment Division has finalized preparations for the High Powered Selection Board and the Central Selection Board to expedite long-pending promotions of federal bureaucrats from Grade 19 to 20, Grade 20 to 21, and Grade 21 to 22.
According to official sources, the High Powered Selection Board meeting is expected to be held on March 5 or 6, while the Central Selection Board is scheduled from March 10 to 13.
The Establishment Division has formally notified the Prime Minister’s Office and the Federal Public Service Commission regarding these proceedings, which will be conducted under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
The High Powered Selection Board will deliberate on promotions to 40 vacant Grade 22 posts, while the Central Selection Board will consider the promotion of approximately 1,000 officers to Grades 20 and 21. Prominent figures, including Bilawal Bhutto and Khawaja Asif, are expected to participate in the High Powered Selection Board meeting alongside the prime minister.
Among those being considered for promotion to Grade 22 are IG Sindh Ghulam Nabi Memon, Secretary to the Prime Minister Asadur Rehman Gilani, Chairman FBR Rashid Mahmood, Secretary Education and Training Mohiuddin Ahmed Wani, Additional Secretary Petroleum Division Momin Agha, and Chief Secretary Punjab Zahid Akhtar Zaman. Other senior officers in contention include Irum Bukhari, Sajid Baloch, Jawdat Ayaz, Nadeem Mehboob, Ambrain Raza, Usman Akhtar Bajwa, Mosaddiq Ahmed Khan, Atta-ur-Rehman, Wasim Ajmal Chaudhry, Dawood Muhammad, Shakeel Ahmed Mangnejo, K. Ahmed Mukarram, Aamir Zulfiqar Khan, Muhammad Farooq Mazhar, Asif Saifullah Paracha, and Imran Yaqoob Minhas.
This will be the first High Powered Selection Board meeting since March 2023. Meanwhile, the Central Selection Board, chaired by the Chairman of the Federal Public Service Commission, will review promotion recommendations for 325 Grade 20 and 21 posts across three key service groups under the Establishment Division.
A total of 1,000 officers from the Pakistan Administrative Service, Police Service of Pakistan, and the Secretariat Group will be assessed for promotion. Sources indicate that 255 positions are allocated to the Pakistan Administrative Service, including 230 in Grade 20 and 25 in Grade 21. The Police Service of Pakistan has 10 Grade 21 and 23 Grade 20 posts, while the Secretariat Group has 7 Grade 21 and 130 Grade 20 posts available for promotion.
The bureaucratic promotion process under the federal government has been stalled for the past two years, leading to an unusual backlog. Due to the delay in board meetings, several officers who were awaiting promotion have since retired. As a result, more than half of the Federal Secretary positions are currently being filled under Section 10 of the Civil Servants Act 1973.
Notable officers who have retired in Grade 21 due to these delays include Ghulam Rasool, Ehsan Sadiq, Ishtiaq Ahmed, Fayyaz Ahmed, Sultan Ali Khawaja, Abdul Qadir Qayyum, Sabir Ahmed, and Khalid Khattak from the Police Service.
Additionally, Khaqan Murtaza and Hassan Iqbal of the Pakistan Administrative Service, along with Dr. Aamir Irshad Sheikh, Aamir Mahmood Hussain, Syed Khalid Raza, Muhammad Salman, Meraj Anis Arif, Salim Khan, and Munir Ahmed of the Secretariat Group, have also retired without receiving their long-awaited promotions.
The resumption of the promotion process is expected to bring long-overdue relief to bureaucrats and help streamline senior appointments within the federal administration. NNI
