Employees Stage Strong Protest Over PMS Quota -

STAFF REPORTER

PESHAWAR : The All Employees Coordination Council, Civil Secretariat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, has expressed serious reservations over the promotion policy under the PMS Rules 2007, alleging discrimination against Superintendents, Stenographers, and the IT cadre. The council has urged the provincial government to introduce immediate reforms to ensure fair promotion opportunities.

In a memorandum submitted to the Chief Minister and the Chief Secretary of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Council Chairman Zafar Khan Yousafzai and Senior Vice Chairman Syed Bilal Shah stated that the existing promotion policy treats these cadres unfairly, causing widespread concern among senior employees.

They argued that making a departmental examination mandatory for promotion from BS-17 to BS-18 is impractical, as most clerks and stenographers reach this level only after 25 to 26 years of service. Requiring employees of that seniority to pass an examination, they said, places an unnecessary burden on experienced officials. They urged the government to give due weight to experience, seniority, Performance Evaluation Reports (PERs), and overall service records instead of relying solely on examination results.

The council further pointed out that while a 12 percent PMS quota has been allocated for 211 Superintendents and an 8 percent quota for 143 Personal Assistants, 193 Computer Operators have been left without any quota. According to the council, this amounts to discrimination and is inconsistent with Articles 4 and 25 of the Constitution.

The council also maintained that promotion opportunities for Superintendents, Stenographers, and the IT cadre remain extremely limited compared to other services, depriving many experienced employees of career progression.

It called on the provincial government to resolve the issue on a priority basis by implementing commitments made between 2019 and 2026, taking into account previous directives of the former Chief Minister and agreed decisions.

The council’s leadership emphasized that a fair and balanced service policy is essential to strengthening the provincial administrative system and restoring employees’ confidence in the government.