The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has overturned the Central Selection Board’s (CSB) decision to reject Officer Muhammad Tahir Hassan’s Grade-21 promotion, stating that the decision was based on unverified intelligence reports.
In its ruling, Justice Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan declared the CSB’s August 1, 2023, decision invalid and instructed the board to reassess the promotion in line with the Civil Servants Promotion Rules at its next meeting.
The court criticized the reliance on vague and unfounded intelligence reports, emphasizing that career-impacting decisions should not be made based on such claims unless the officer is given an opportunity to challenge the allegations through proper departmental procedures.
The judgment pointed out that the petitioner, with an excellent service record from 1994 to 2022 and a promotion recommendation from his secretary, was passed over in favor of a junior officer. The intelligence reports from the ISI and IB, which accused him of corruption and being unable to handle pressure, lacked credible evidence and failed to explain their methodology.
