The Senate Committee on Delegated Legislation, chaired by Senator Naseema Ehsan, on Monday reviewed rules governing CSS and general recruitment examinations, and examined regulations under the National Archives Act, 1993, and the Archival Material (Preservation and Export Control) Act, 1975.
The committee was briefed on reforms in the civil servants’ evaluation system and recruitment through the CSS examination.
Members expressed concern over delays in the Federal Public Service Commission’s (FPSC) general recruitment process, which currently takes at least two years.
The FPSC secretary informed the committee that computer-based testing (CBT) and MCQ-based papers are being introduced to reduce the duration to one year. The chairperson directed FPSC to expedite implementation.
The committee reiterated its earlier recommendation to increase the upper age limit and number of attempts for the CSS exam, arguing that this would benefit candidates from remote and underdeveloped areas, particularly Balochistan.
However, officials from the Establishment Division and FPSC maintained that such changes were not feasible due to service-related concerns. Members also raised the issue of women-friendly workplace policies, with the chairperson directing authorities to ensure measures such as postings that support family stability.
FPSC informed the committee that the CSS syllabus is under review and will be refined, while issues related to outdated terminology in FPSC rules and minority representation were flagged for detailed briefing in the next meeting.
The committee also reviewed draft rules for the National Archives and expressed concern over the lack of coordination between federal and provincial archives, especially regarding ancient documents from archaeological sites such as Mehrgarh and Neri Kalat.
The chairperson highlighted the absence of a clear digitization framework and directed relevant authorities to present a comprehensive briefing in the next meeting on preservation of archaeological records and the digitization plan for the National Archives.