Key Takeaways
- 11 new professional cadres proposed for civil service.
- BS-20 and above posts may be opened to officials, academics, private-sector professionals.
- Cost estimated at Rs11 billion, aims to improve bureaucracy standards.
The federal government has finalised a comprehensive restructuring of the civil service, proposing 11 new professional cadres to address declining standards and lack of specialisation. These reforms, estimated to cost Rs11 billion, are part of a broader effort to enhance the performance and efficiency of the bureaucracy.
At a consultative session chaired by Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, stakeholders including senior policymakers, sector specialists, and other officials discussed the proposed changes. The session, held on Saturday, aimed to gather feedback and ensure a consensus on the recommendations.
The new professional cadres include HR, Law, Engineering, Science and Technology, IT and Telecom, Energy, Climate, Agriculture and Forestry, Education, and Health groups. The Establishment Division will be restructured into a Human Resource and Organisation Development Division, reducing the number of decision-making tiers from five to three.
Under the proposed National Executive Service (NES) structure, posts in BS-20 and above will be filled through open competition on five-year contracts against published performance targets. Serving officers, private-sector professionals, and academics will compete on equal terms. The Police Service and Foreign Service will remain outside the NES.
The reforms also propose piloting performance-linked pay in the federal secretariat and a retirement package comprising a Rs5 million lump sum funded through monthly deductions, along with subsidised health insurance. This aims to incentivise better performance and retention among civil servants.
The CSS examination will be overhauled, with candidates having the option to attempt five compulsory papers in Urdu — Essay, Précis and Composition, Islamiat, Pakistan Studies, and Current Affairs — while functional proficiency in English remains a screening requirement. The preliminary test threshold will be raised from 33% to 40%, with analytical reasoning added and negative marking removed.
The model draws on Pakistan Army human resource practices, emphasising psychometric, emotional intelligence, and leadership assessments at recruitment. It also proposes a structured promotion system, where progression becomes increasingly selective at senior ranks and promotion decisions are made collectively by boards on prescribed criteria.
A key shift is the recruitment according to specialisation, ending the existing arrangement where officers can be allocated to fields they have never studied. The CSS examination itself will not be abolished, but the preliminary test threshold will be increased, and the recruitment cycle will be reduced to six months or less.
The reforms are part of a broader initiative by the government to improve the quality and efficiency of the civil service, with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif constituting two committees on civil service reforms since September 2024. These committees have held 18 meetings and reached consensus on 43 of 46 recommendations.
