Pakistan proposes 11 personnel groups in civil service reform — Dawn
In Pakistan, the federal government has completed preparations for a proposed package of sweeping civil service reforms. It envisages the creation of 11 specialized professional personnel groups, changes to the rules for selecting and promoting officials, as well as performance-based rewards. The estimated cost of implementing the initiative is 11 billion Pakistani rupees, Dawn reports.
The package was presented on September 20 at a consultation session in Islamabad chaired by Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif established two groups to work on the reform. Since September 2024, they have held 18 meetings and reached consensus on 43 of 46 recommendations.
Specialization and competitive selection
The government proposes forming groups for human resource management, law, engineering, science and technology, information technology and telecommunications, energy, climate, agriculture, forestry, education, and healthcare. The approach provides for selecting officials according to their specialization instead of appointing them to fields they did not study.
The government’s Establishment Division is planned to be transformed into a human resources and organizational development division. The number of decision-making levels at the federal level is proposed to be reduced from five to three.
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Basic-level positions at BS-20 and above within the National Executive Service are planned to be filled through open competition, with five-year contracts and publicly disclosed performance indicators. Current officials, private-sector representatives, and members of academia will be able to participate in the competitions. The police and diplomatic services will not be included in this system.
Examinations and assessment
The CSS examination for entry into the civil service will not be abolished. Candidates will have the opportunity to take five compulsory written examinations in Urdu: essay, précis and composition, Islamic studies, Pakistan affairs, and current affairs. At the same time, functional command of English will remain a pre-selection requirement.
The passing threshold for the preliminary test is proposed to be raised from 33% to 40%, analytical thinking tasks are to be added, and negative marking is to be abolished. The one-day interview is planned to be replaced with a multi-day competency assessment based on the ISSB model, including psychometric tests and assessments of emotional intelligence and leadership qualities.
Each ministry is to conclude an annual performance agreement with the prime minister, while officials will be assessed twice a year. It is proposed that 5% of personnel-related expenditures be allocated to performance-based payments. After the package is approved, its implementation will be overseen by a special committee that will report to the prime minister monthly and is to complete implementation within 120 days.
