Ministers, bureaucrats at odds over specialised reforms scheme

• Civil service reform panel divided over specialised recruitment.
• PM briefed on rift over future of Pakistan’s bureaucracy.
• Reforms propose shift from generalist to specialist CSS system.
  

The high-level implementation committee on civil service reforms is sharply divided over the future shape of Pakistan’s bureaucracy, with federal ministers strongly backing the introduction of a specialised recruitment system, while senior bureaucrats, mostly belonging to the Pakistan Administrative Service (PAS), are resisting any major move away from the existing generalist framework.

Sources familiar with the deliberations said the prime minister has been briefed on the internal rift. If consensus remains elusive, the committee is likely to forward two separate and competing sets of recommendations on civil service induction and recruitment for the prime minister’s final decision.

The reform proposals stem from recommendations of the civil service reforms committee headed by Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, which had called for a fundamental restructuring of the Central Superior Services (CSS) examination and recruitment process.

According to the committee’s recommendations, which were referred by the cabinet to the implementation committee for preparation of an implementation plan for the reforms, the current generalist model should gradually give way to a specialised recruitment system, either through a cluster-based examination or separate examinations for each occupational group under the CSS framework.

Under the proposed model, candidates would be assessed against clearly defined academic qualifications and subject relevance, with successful candidates posted directly against specific positions rather than being inducted as generalists.

The recommendations draw support from the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE) report, which proposed aligning optional subjects with service group preferences. For example, finance-related subjects for the Inland Revenue Service (IRS) and criminology for the Police Service of Pakistan (PSP).

One of the most debated proposals relates to the language of examination. The committee has suggested allowing candidates to attempt selected compulsory papers such as Essay, Precis and Composition, Pakistan Studies, Islamiyat and Current Affairs- in either English or Urdu during the initial phase.

The proposal is backed by the Federal Public Service Commission’s five-year performance report, which identifies English Essay and Pakistan Studies as the highest failure-rate subjects. In the 2022 CSS examination, nearly 99% of candidates failed in both papers, raising serious concerns about whether language proficiency has become a barrier to talent selection.

Sources pointed out that even internationally acclaimed scholars, including Rhodes and Gates scholars, have failed to qualify the CSS examination due to these language constraints.

The committee has further recommended that the option of attempting all CSS subjects in Urdu may eventually be introduced. The reform package also proposes raising the MPT (MCQs-Based Preliminary Test) passing threshold from 33% to 40%, without negative marking. The test may include GRE- or SAT-style questions to better assess analytical and logical reasoning.

To enhance transparency, the committee has recommended developing and publishing objective criteria for written examinations and viva voce, alongside graded psychological and psychometric evaluations.

Another key proposal calls for full digitisation of the CSS examination process, with the aim of reducing the total recruitment cycle to six months or less.

To address persistent shortfalls in provincial and minority quotas — particularly in Balochistan and Sindh — the committee has proposed affirmative measures, including additional attempts for candidates from underrepresented groups.

However, senior PAS officers sitting on the implementation committee, which is also led by Ahsan Iqbal, is opposed to replacing the current Central Allocation System (CAS) and generalist induction model.

They argue that Pakistan’s administrative structure requires officers with broad exposure across sectors, maintaining that the existing system is time-tested and has ensured administrative cohesion since independence.

According to their stance, instead of introducing an entirely new specialised bureaucracy, the present system should be refined and strengthened, warning that excessive specialisation at the entry level could fragment governance and weaken coordination among ministries.

Ministers are of the view that we need more space for domain knowledge experts in the civil service and better promotion prospects for specialists to attract professionals and specialists in civil service. At present, specialist cadres have to wait over 15 years to get promoted, and the majority retire at grade 19 or 20. 

The corporate sector inducts professionals and turns them into generalists as they go up the ladder, they said.

Originally published in The News