ISLAMABAD: The Central Selection Board (CSB) and High-Powered Selection Board (HPSB) meetings have both faced delays, leaving the promotions of hundreds of ‘bureaucrats’ pending.
The Establishment Division has issued a notification postponing the CSB meeting, originally scheduled for December 23 to 27, until further notice.
This marks the second postponement, with a prior meeting planned for November also delayed. The last CSB meeting was held in August 2023.
The delay affects the promotions of over 400 officers in Grades 20 and 21, which has been pending for the past 16 months. According to the rules, the CSB is required to meet twice a year.
Separately, the High-Powered Selection Board (HPSB), responsible for considering bureaucrats promotions to Grade 22, has also been delayed to January.
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This comes after Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari requested Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to include him in the HPSB.
The final decision on his inclusion will be made by PM Shehbaz Sharif.
The last HPSB meeting took place in February 2023.
In a related development, the prime minister rejected a proposal to include chief ministers in CSB meetings for Grade 20 and 21 promotions.
Instead, Senator Saleem Mandviwalla has been inducted into the CSB. Historically, political figures such as Naveed Qamar have also participated in the CSB in similar capacities.
The repeated delays in both selection boards have raised concerns about the prolonged stagnation in officer promotions across key grades.