A Similar Article was also written in The News (21st May)

Major Change in Bureaucracy on the Cards

ISLAMABAD: The PPP government has devised a plan to “restructure” the Civil Service of Pakistan and allow inter-group movement as the first step, which may ultimately lead to reintroduction of ZA Bhutto’s lateral entry system into the services. This may mean 20 percent of the seats will go to favourite officers, disturbing the chain of promotions.
The scheme will allow inductions in senior grades, BPS-19 and BPS-20, specifically in the Secretariat Group from the provinces and other occupational groups, primarily to allow swift promotions to politically backed officers of other services, well-placed sources told The News.
Interestingly, it is the Secretariat Group, which is being targeted again and a summary is likely to be moved from the Establishment Division in the next few days, allowing 10 percent quota for the direct inductees from the provinces and 10 percent from other occupational groups against the posts of deputy secretaries (BPS-19) and joint secretaries (BPS-20) into the Secretariat Group.
Establishment Secretary Rauf Choudhry confirmed to The News that a proposal was under consideration, but no decision had been taken so far. The sources said that during a meeting held in the Cabinet Secretariat on May 16, 2011, the cabinet secretary took a strong exception to the proposal, saying it would ruin the structure of civil service.
The sources said that the Balochistan chief minister had requested that officers from his province should be given quota in the federal services under the Aghaz-e-Haqooq-e-Balochistan Package to minimise the frustration among the people of the province.
“Using the Balochistan request as a pretext, it has been decided to allow induction into the Secretariat Group against the posts of deputy secretaries and joint secretaries from all the provinces and other occupational groups as well,” the sources said. There is no mention of induction into the Secretariat Group alone in the Aghaz-e-Haqooq-e-Balochistan package.
The sources said had it been restricted to Balochistan alone, every person would have appreciated such an offer. But because a strong occupational group was given tough time by the provincial services officers in the Punjab, therefore, they had also included other provinces in the package to give a ray of hope of promotion to the provincial officers.
According to the working paper prepared by the Establishment Division, available with The News, 10 percent vacancies of deputy secretaries (BS-19) in the Secretariat Group may, henceforth, be reserved for induction of regular BS-19 civil servants of all the four provincial governments, the AJK and Gilgit Baltistan and persons in BS-19/equilavent in the service of its attached departments, autonomous bodies/semi autonomous bodies/corporations on the basis of merit/provincial/regional quota.
The paper also suggests that an additional 10% vacancies of DS (BS-19) in the Secretariat Group may also be reserved for induction of BS-19 regular officers of all the Federal Occupational groups/cadres and the persons in BS-19/equivalent in the service of Federal Autonomous/semi-autonomous bodies/corporations/organisations. A similar working paper was also prepared for the Joint Secretaries (BS-20), the sources maintained.
Some officers have expressed serious concerns over such a plan and one has even written that if the said proposals were implemented, there will be a plethora of legal complaints against the Establishment Division. Sources said that there are lot of officers having political background who have convinced the prime minister to approve such a change in the civil service rules.
The son-in-law of a former federal minister, who is at present serving in the EOBI, is among the front runners to get inducted into the Secretariat Group and get a swift promotion. Sources also pointed out that a mid-level officer of Nepra who hails from Multan also wants himself to be appointed in BPS-20 during the PPP government because of his close association with the men in power.