Delay in FPSC chairman appointment stalls promotions for hundreds of officers

ISLAMABAD: The long-vacant position of Chairman at the Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC) has halted the promotion process for hundreds of officers in 12 civil service groups from grades 19 to 20 and 20 to 21.

Both the former interim Prime Minister and the current Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, have failed to appoint the FPSC Chairman, resulting in the Central Selection Board not meeting for over a year. This delay has caused significant concern and anxiety among officers awaiting their promotions.

Officers from various groups, including the Pakistan Administrative Service, Foreign Service, Police Service, Customs, Inland Revenue, Railways, Audit and Accounts, Secretariat, MLC, and Information Services, have expressed their frustration over the delay. They are now compelled to consider peaceful protests and sit-ins in front of the Prime Minister’s House and the President’s House.

The FPSC Chairman’s position has been vacant for nearly a year, with the current government also unable to make the appointment. The repeated postponements of the Central Selection Board meetings have left officers awaiting promotion in grades 20 and 21 increasingly frustrated.

The promotion process for hundreds of officers is stalled, causing a slowdown in government operations. Many officers have retired in their old grades, unable to receive the promotions and benefits they were due.

Pakistan has twelve civil service groups, with thousands of officers serving in federal and provincial roles. Officers in these groups are now unofficially protesting the lack of an FPSC Chairman’s appointment and the consequent delay in the Central Selection Board meetings.

The President appoints the FPSC Chairman on the advice of the Prime Minister, but both the President’s House and the Prime Minister’s House have remained silent on the matter, further prolonging the delay in the appointment process.