*ISLAMABAD: *The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government has passedanother milestone by reforming the decades-old structure of the civilservices with the objectives to transform it into a merit-based,depoliticised cadre of professionals.
The PTI, during its elections campaigns, had pledged to bring aboutwide-ranging reforms in the system. It had promised to introduce a systemof internal accountability to encourage the competent officers and weed outinefficient people.
The civil service of Pakistan had seen many reforms but the efforts by theincumbent government would be another step towards transforming the serviceto ensure that the best officers reach the top positions.
A notification in this regard might be issued next week, an official sourcein the establishment division told *APP* on Saturday.
The source disclosed that for the first time, the reforms were being madein the promotion rules of the Civil Servants Promotion Rules, 2020,because, earlier, no promotion rules were framed and only a few policymemorandums were available in the scattered form.
“Now, such rules will deal with the promotion of civil servants in acomprehensive manner as the bar of ‘promotion threshold’ has been raised,”said a source.
For the first time, submission of declaration of assets made mandatory, toensure that the promotions were objective, transparent and merit-based.Collective judgment of the promotion board had been made more relevant,which means more marks for the board– from 15% to 30%.Ad
Besides, the Civil Service (Retirement from Service) Rules, 2020, to reviewthe performance of civil servants had also been finalised, which entailedmandatory performance review of all civil servants after 20 years ofservice.
Read Top Stories
Under the reforms, no PAS/PSP officer would be allowed to serve for morethan 10 years continuously in a province/Islamabad. Transfers to otherprovinces or Islamabad would be made on completion of 10 years.
The OMG officers must compete two tenures of three years each in federalgovernment in two main ministries of diverse sectors. Under thisinitiative, BS-19 officers should have the opportunities for obtainingforeign qualifications and trainings in selected areas of specialisation.
For PSP officers, the training requirements include more practical aspectsrelating to law and order as well as security. Specialised courses incounterterrorism, counterintelligence, investigation, crime prevention andcounter-extremism and radicalisation are made essential.
The BS-21 positions must be filled with officers, who are generallyconsidered capable of reaching and manning BS-22 positions.
The cabinet had already approved the performance management reforms, whichhad the salient features like performance audit through agreements to besigned between the minister concerned and the prime minister. All the 40ministries/divisions will enter into the performance agreements, startingfrom July 1, 2020.
A pilot phase, in this regard, is being launched on Monday, February 17. Itinvolves signing of performance agreement by the prime minister with 10ministries for the third and fourth quarters of financial year 2019-20.
