THIS is apropos of Munzoor Nasir’s letter “Injustice Against PCS Officers”(Feb 8). The writer has excellently pointed out the grievances of the elite service of the province of Punjab.
Unfortunately, PCS officers are facing the worst type of discrimination in terms of their service structure, postings and promotions. They have to serve at least 17 years in Grade 17. On the other hand, their class-fellows in District Management Group (DMG) are promoted to Grade 20 within the same period. It is just with a stroke of luck that one falls in DMG while others qualify for the competitive examination held by the Punjab Public Service Commission. It is strange that the constitution of Pakistan has provided sufficient provincial autonomy to the federating units and fully empowers the provinces to handle the general administration and law and order-related issues.

However, the federating units of Pakistan are being denied the given provincial autonomy in the Constitution and the Centre is handling their administrative affairs through the federal services. It is interesting to point out that the federal service is running the show in provinces and its nomenclature, i.e. DMG is against the spirit of the Constitution.

Districts are the administrative units of provinces and they must be run by provincial administrative services rather than by federal services. Federal services may run the affairs of the centre and leave the provinces to manage their affairs independently.

I appeal to the chief minister of Punjab to implement the resolution of the Punjab Assembly unanimously passed in 1986 regarding curtailing the number of DMG officers in Punjab and take concrete steps to eradicate the injustice and biased attitude towards PCS officers in the province.