Central Selection Board to consider promotion of 1,000 federal officers from March 11

The Central Selection Board (CSB) is set to begin its four-day meeting on March 11 to consider the promotion of 1,000 federal officers to Grades 20 and 21 after an unusual delay of two years.

The meeting will be chaired by Chairman Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC) Lieutenant General (retd) Akhtar Nawaz Satti at the Establishment Division in Islamabad and will continue until March 14.

The board will review and recommend promotions for officers in various services, groups, and X-cadres, including the Police Service of Pakistan, Pakistan Administrative Service, Secretariat Group, Foreign Service, Information Group, and Postal Group. The final approval of the promotions, appointments, and transfers will be granted by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, after which official notifications will be issued by the Establishment Division.

According to sources, the Establishment Division has already communicated with all administrative secretaries, providing them with a detailed list of vacancies and promotion criteria. The deadline for submitting proposals was February 26, while February 28 was set as the cut-off date for service calculations.

The board members include Senator Sadia Abbasi, Senator Saleem Mandviwala, MNA Javed Hanif Khan, Secretary Finance Imdadullah Bosal, Secretary Maritime Affairs Zafar Ali Shah, retired bureaucrats Rabia Javeria Agha and Ghiyasuddin, Secretary Establishment Division Inamullah Khan Dharejo, Secretary Cabinet Division, and all four provincial chief secretaries. Additionally, Inspector Generals (IGs) of police from all provinces and the Federal Secretary for Home Affairs will participate in the promotion cases of police officers, while DG Intelligence Bureau (IB) and DG ISI will oversee cases related to their respective institutions.

Promotion cases under review

On the first day (March 11), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will present 30 officers for promotion from Grade 20 to 21 and 42 officers from Grade 19 to 20. Additionally, the Legal Advisor Saleem’s case, as well as the court cases of Burhanul Islam and Hamid Azhar Khan (Grade 20), will be reviewed.

The Information Group under the Ministry of Information will also have 12 officers up for promotion from Grade 20 to 21 and another 12 officers from Grade 19 to 20, along with Afzal Safavi and Dr. Atta Muhammad Anwar’s cases for proforma promotion to Grade 20.

In the Postal Group (Ministry of Communications), 11 officers are being considered for promotion to Grade 21, while 16 officers are up for promotion to Grade 20.

The Secretariat Group (Establishment Division) has 56 officers under review for promotion from Grade 20 to 21 and 84 officers from Grade 19 to 20, including the proforma promotion case of Muhammad Ramzan.

It is important to note that the last CSB meeting was held in August 2023. This year’s long-awaited promotions are expected to play a crucial role in restructuring the federal bureaucracy and ensuring efficient governance.

Reporter: Babar Shahzad Turk