CSS reforms or a recipe for disaster

UNFORTUNATELY all sorts of mismanagement and illogical alterations of rules have turned the civil service into a lapdog. The service is on the verge of institutional and systematic collapse. This time a proposal is to reform the civil service to favour political appointees.

The scheme will allow inductions in senior grades, BPS-19 and BPS-20, from the provinces and other occupational groups, primarily to allow swift promotions to politically-backed officers of other services. The Balochistan chief minister had asserted that officers from Balochistan should be given quota in civil services under the Aghaz-i-Huqooq-i-Balochistan package to minimise the disappointment, sense of marginalisation and 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. But the fact can hardly be exaggerated that there is no mention of induction into the secretariat group alone in the Aghaz-i-Huqooq-i-Balochistan package.

If this free package had been applied to Balochistan only, it would have been appreciated by all but the enhancement of this to other provinces is an objectionable matter which has no rationale and logic. The additional 10 per cent vacancies of deputy secretaries (BS-19) in the SG may be reserved for induction of regular BS-19 civil servants of all the four provincial governments, AJK and Gilgit-Baltistan and persons in BS-19/equivalent in the service of its attached departments, autonomous bodies/semi-autonomous bodies, corporations on the basis of merit, provincial/regional quota.

The additional 10 per cent vacancies of DS (BS-19) and JS (BPS-20) 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, etc.

Now the civil service, which is already losing its credibility, is targeted. Officers of the OMG/SG feel threatened to know the fact that people from other groups are going to be there. Already there are appointments by transfer and quota for inductions from other groups in OMG/ SG.

When in a state of such utter confusion and uncertainty, how can efficiency be expected from officers? When the basic working unit of a division/ministry will not deliver, how can the system be deliverable and responsive? These officers should be given their full right to life, i.e., promotional right and in their group this should be specifically for them, like the other groups. The government should immediately revisit and take back its decision to avoid further collision of groups and services for ensuring bureaucratic service delivery in an efficient way. Or these reforms should be in all other occupational groups and services as a standard rule of equality.

SUMMER NOOR
Islamabad

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