In a serious development, the federal government has suspended three officers out of the top ten officers of a top panel and issued show cause notices to two officers, a day before the Departmental Selection Board meeting scheduled for February 13 (Friday) for the promotion of civil and police officers to Grade 19.
According to documents available to 24 News, strict disciplinary action has been initiated against five officers of Grade 18 of the Pakistan Administrative Service, who were at the top of the promotion panel, just a day before the board meeting.
Moreover, the three officers in top positions for promotion have been suspended for 120 days, while two officers have been issued show-cause notices with the possibility of major punishments, including dismissal.
According to the documents, the suspended officers include Pakistan Administrative Service Grade 18 Waqar Ali, posted in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government, Fayyaz Alam Solangi, posted in the Sindh government, and Flight Lieutenant (retd) Imran Ali Sultan, posted in the Punjab government.
The three officers will continue to be at the disposal of the respective provincial governments. Along with the suspension, show-cause notices have also been issued to them and they have been directed to submit a written response within 10 days. In case of failure to submit a response within the stipulated period, legal action will be taken.
According to the document, Waqar Ali from the 28th Common Training Program (CTP) was ranked second in the promotion panel, Fayyaz Alam Solangi from the 35th CTP was ranked eighth, while Flight Lieutenant (retd) Imran Ali Sultan from the 36th CTP was ranked ninth.
Show-cause notices have also been issued to two grade 18 officers of the Pakistan Administrative Service, Dr. Adnan Zafar Khan and Umar Asad. According to the documents, the relevant officers have been accused of failure to submit performance evaluation reports and asset declarations, absenteeism and violation of government orders.
Departmental Selection Board meeting is scheduled to be held tomorrow, to review promotions in Grade 19. Before the meeting, action against the officers included in the promotion panel is being described as a significant development.
Reporter: Baber Shahzad