Members of Senate Special Committee meeting on Wednesday took the Central Selection Board to task, terming the selection criteria as biased and demanded equal representation of all the federating units in the Board. With Senator SM Zafar in the chair, the committee discussed the recent promotions of grade 20 and 21 officers.
Secretary Establishment Division, Tariq Ali Bokhari briefed the committee that all the promotions were made according to the rules. However, senators from Sindh, NWFP and Balochistan criticised the promotions of the BPS-19 officers terming it an unjust act of the Selection Board.
They were against the 'best of the best' policy adopted by the Board since 2002. The Establishment Division should formulate a policy considering other aspects of a candidate including blood-count and backwardness of a certain province/region, they suggested.
The senators also expressed dissatisfaction over the Prime Minister's discretionary powers used in promotion of six officers, most of them belonging to Punjab. Senator Kamran Murtaza of MMA claimed that the selection rules were followed while making initial recruitment but not in the promotion process.
Senator Hameedullah Khan from Fata pointed out that there are some officers, whom he personally know, have been placed in the list of best of the best despite the fact that they are corrupt.
He said that of the six officers promoted by the Prime Minister, none hailed from NWFP. He also objected to the 'best of the best' policy saying that an educational institution of Fata or other backward province could not be compared with the Punjab's institutions.
Senator Tahir Hussain Mashhadi said that Punjab has 50 percent quota whereas remaining 50 percent is distributed among the smaller province, which is unfair and unjust. Senator Raza Mohammad Raza said that despite being part and parcel of the federation, the smaller provinces are not included in the policy making process. "All the members in the Selection Board are from the Punjab than how we could expect justice," he alleged and demanded of the federal government to induct members from other provinces as well.
Senator Safder Abbasi of PPPP claimed that civil service structure has been destroyed and all the appointments and promotions are being made on the basis of favouritism. Senator Dilawar Abbas said that considering the blood-count is a must while promoting the officers. Senator Liaquat Bangelzai of MMA said that an officer who even takes egg in bribe has been placed at the 'best of the best' list.
Senator Ismail Buledi of MMA said that since 1982, Balochistan is not getting its due share in the civil service quota. Heads in all the government departments of Balochistan are hailing from Punjab, which is the main hurdle in promotion of Baloch officers, he alleged.
Kamil Ali Agha of PML defended the Punjab saying that the biggest province has always given sacrifices for the sake of smaller federating units and in recent Cabinet meeting, granted its three percent quota to Balochistan.
Senator SM Zafar proposed that the Establishment Division should formulate a new selection criteria considering all the aspects of an officer while promoting and appointing him/her besides the 'best of the best' aspect. He also directed the Establishment Division for implementing the Cabinet decision on fixing six percent quota for Balochistan, in letter and spirit.
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