Dawn
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17:14 May 13, 2026
ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday set aside the supersession and deferment of top bureaucrats in promotion matters and ruled that high courts can assume jurisdiction in cases relating to assessment of “fitness” and “suitability” for promotion. In a detailed judgment authored by Justice Raja Inaam Ameen Minhas, the court held that denial of fair consideration for promotion was amenable to judicial review and such disputes did not fall within the exclusive jurisdiction of the Federal Service Tribunal. The judgment came on a series of petitions filed by BS-20 officers belonging to the Police Service of Pakistan (PSP), Pakistan Administrative Service (PAS), Inland Revenue Service (IRS), Pakistan Customs Service (PCS), and the health sector, which had challenged their supersession or deferment by the Central Selection Board (CSB) during meetings held in March 2025. The court set aside the CSB’s decision and directed that the cases of the officers be considered afresh. The court observed that a...