SC takes notice of DMG promotions
ISLAMABAD: The issue of controversial promotion of seven officers of District Management Group (DMG) has landed in the Supreme Court as the Chief Justice of Pakistan has taken notice of an application moved by a female officer, documents available with The News reveal. The Establishment Division has been directed to submit its reply by March 16, 2011.
According to details, the names of seven officers of DMG, generally considered to be the most powerful group in the civil bureaucracy, were included in the agenda of promotion list of last Central Selection Board (CSB) at the eleventh hour.
A meeting of CSB was held on January 1-2 for the promotion of officers mostly from BPS-19 to BPS-20 and many items were left over in the meeting. A new meeting of the board was convened on February 9 by the Establishment Division to take up the leftover cases but, to the shock of many, a new item was introduced in the leftover agenda which was only for the DMG officers. An application was sent to the Human Rights Cell of the Supreme Court by one Azra Jamali, Deputy Secretary, Establishment Division, saying that the Establishment Division managed to include cases of DMG officers in BS-19 who had completed their training with her at the eleventh hour through secret and clandestine manoeuvring. “The whole exercise clearly appears to be mala fide and in violations of norms of rules and procedures not to say to discrimination to other officers,” the application says.
The Director HRC of Supreme Court on March 1 has written to the Secretary Establishment: “Take notice that in pursuance of order of the honourable Chief Justice of Pakistan you are required to submit comments on the above application so as to reach this court on/or before March 16, 2011.”
Sources told The News that some 131 officers from 14 groups, including provincial and ex-cadre groups, have recently completed Senior Management Course held at National School of Public Policy, Lahore from September 2010 to January 2011 but only seven DMG officers were handpicked for promotion in the board meeting convened solely for the leftover items in the January 1-2 meeting. Sources said that it was once again the DMG card which was used.
The DMG officers who have been promoted in the CSB meeting include Shahid Ashraf Tarar, Muhammad Ali Shahzada, Ishrat Ali, Ali Sher Mahsud, Ambreen Raza, Mohyuddin Ahmad Wani and Ahsan Ali Mangi. It is worth mentioning here that a few of these officers did not have the required length of service in BPS-20 yet they have been promoted on additional charge basis.
Sources said that the promotion of DMG officers was not part of the original agenda but the list was revised for only DMG officers and an entry at item 6-A Serial No31 “consideration of promotion cases of DMG Officers from BS-19 to BS-20” was put in the agenda item.
Secretary Establishment Rauf Chaudhry had told The News that the vacancies for DMG posts were available, therefore these seven officers were considered for promotion. He mentioned that Secretary Establishment happens to be secretary of all groups and not merely of DMG. He said that the posts in rest of the groups were completely filled but against the 68 DMG posts only 32 officers were promoted in the CSB meeting on Jan 1-2.
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SC takes notice of DMG promotions