In a major development for hundreds of federal civil servants awaiting career advancement, the federal government has decided to convene the long-pending meeting of the Central Selection Board (CSB) to consider promotions to Basic Pay Scale (BS) 20 and BS-21. According to an office memorandum issued by the Establishment Division, the government has initiated preparations for the CSB meeting, which will consider promotion cases from BS-19 to BS-20 and from BS-20 to BS-21.

The memorandum, titled "Urgent, Confidential, CSB Matter" and issued on August 5, 2026, directs all federal ministries, divisions, departments and cadre administrators to submit panels of officers eligible for promotion. The Establishment Division said the upcoming CSB meeting would review promotion cases of officers belonging to all occupational groups, services and ex-cadres. Under the directive, the relevant ministries and departments have been asked to prepare and submit lists of officers eligible for promotion to BS-20 in the prescribed format.

They have also been instructed to forward panels of officers eligible for promotion to BS-21 to the Establishment Division by August 10, 2026, to ensure timely completion of the board's proceedings. The memorandum has been circulated to all relevant federal ministries, divisions, departments and cadre administrators based in Islamabad and Rawalpindi.

The Central Selection Board is responsible for reviewing promotion cases of federal civil officers for BS-20 and BS-21 and forwarding its recommendations to the competent authority, the prime minister, for final approval. Following the prime minister's approval, the Establishment Division will issue separate promotion notifications, while appointments and transfers of a number of promoted officers are also expected to be made.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)