Daily Times

The Former Chief Secretaries’ Committee has appreciated the initiative of Prime Minister Imran Khan to bring about much-needed changes in the areas of service structure, career progression, capacity building and improving the standards of efficiency and professionalism of the civil servants.

A meeting of the Former Chief Secretaries’ Committee chaired by former Chief Secretary KPK Azam Khan discussed the recently announced Civil Service Reformsin the overall context of improving the service delivery by the officers of the PAS.

The meeting took note of some provisions of the reforms. On the issue of rationalizing the cadre strength/number of posts of PAS in the provinces, the meeting was of the view that it was a settled issueas the federal government and provincial governments had worked out the formula of sharing of the field posts long time back in 1954 and there existed no impelling need to revisit it now. Besides, reduction of posts (600) in the provinces is likely to cause dissatisfaction among the junior officers who would be denied their professional requirement of orientation of socio-economic and other issues facing the people which are well identified during the field postings, the meeting observed.

Thus some ‘disconnect’may occur between the practical experience of the officers, in identification of issues existing on ground and their resolution through policy intervention, subsequently, it noted, and urged the government to re-examine the issue in its entirety so as to avoid serious ramifications in the area of administrative management.

The meeting also deliberated on the issue of induction of technocrats in the cadre of PAS. It was recommended that no such ‘lateral entry’ of other professionals or technical experts be made in the PAS cadre as it will disturb the structure, seniority and promotion prospects of officersbelonging to one unified cadre, who are inducted through a highly competitive merit-based system. Besides, being a federal service having the title and nomenclature of All Pakistan Unified Grade, it provides a distinct job description of posts, hence its composition must not be disturbed, the committee noted.

The meeting appreciated the views of the prime minister on the quality and caliber of the civil servants of the 1960s when phenomenal economic and physical infrastructure development took place through the civil servants.

The participants stated that the bureaucracy of those times was provided a conducive working environment and they delivered with confidence and without any hindrance. However, with the passage of time and following the successive administrative reforms, things are not the same, the meeting expressed.

Among other things, the criterion of selecting the ‘Right Officer for the Right Job’ is changed, it added.

The meeting maintained that the officers of PAS are still delivering despite odds, like unfavorable field conditions and interference by various pressure or interest groups.

It was emphasized during the meeting that reforms should provide some incentives rather than disincentives to the officers for efficient service delivery. Besides, principles of equity and justice ought to be upheld while making any such intervention in public interest, it urged, adding that all such measures should be aimed at providing better services to the people of Pakistan.

The committee reaffirmed its resolve to provide necessary input in the matters relating to public interest, in its capacity as being a professional and apolitical entity.