Selection board meeting for BPS-21 officials promotion on 17th

ISLAMABAD: The officers of federal government currently working in BPS-21 and due for promotion in top grade would be considered for the same on January 17 when the High-Powered Selection Board (HPSB) will have its meeting at the Prime Minister’s House.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will chair the board meeting. The officers have been anxiously waiting for the board as the prime minister couldn’t find time for it in the last four months.

Highly-placed sources in the Establishment Division told The News here Wednesday that the government had appointed BPS-21 officers as in-charge federal secretary while some officers of Grade-22 were keenly waiting for an opportunity to head a ministry.

In the meanwhile, sources pointed out that at least 25 officers of different cadres now working in Grade-21 would be considered for promotion in Grade 22 by the HPSB. It would be the second meeting of the board in one year as incumbent prime minister had in May this year promoted to BS-22 several officers, including Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister (PSPM) Dr Syed Tauqeer Hussain Shah, Secretary Finance Hamid Yaqoob Shiekh, Special Secretary Cabinet Division Aizaz Aslam Dar, Special Secretary at the Prime Minister’s Office Sara Saeed, former Chief Secretary Punjab Imdadullah Bosal and others.

Sources said the HPSB is likely to consider Additional Secretary in-charge Ministry of Information Technology and Telecom Division Mohsin Mushtaq Chandna, Additional Secretary in-charge Capt. (R) Muhammad Mahmood, Additional Secretary In-charge Power Division Rashid Mahmood Langrial, Chairman NHA Momin Agha, Chief Secretary Punjab Muhammad Abdullah Khan Sumbal, Chief Secretary Gilgit Baltistan (GB) Mohyuddin Ahmad Wani, Muhammad Mujtaba Paracha and others. The sources pointed out that soon after the meeting of HPSB, some reshuffle in the significant bureaucratic slots would take place. The federal government will have new Secretary Interior in 10 weeks upon retirement of Muhammad Yusaf Naseem Khokhar, who would be completing his service tenure in March this year. The senior-most bureaucrat and federal secretary for the Cabinet Division, Sardar Ahmad Nawaz Sukhaira, would be attaining superannuation on January 31 and it is likely a new secretary cabinet would be appointed in about two weeks.

Currently, Federal Secretary Interior Yousaf Nasim Khokhar, Federal Secretary for Federal Education and Professional Training Division Aamir Ashraf Khawaja and former chief secretary Punjab Jawad Rafiq Malik are being considered for the slot. The sources said that Jawad Rafiq Malik would be picked up for appointment as the new secretary Cabinet Division. The Secretary Cabinet Division is viewed as the Secretary of the government.