parental facilities are provided if

i) ur parents are dependent upon u
ii) ur unmarried

also the coverage of medical/health facilities are country specific to which u get posted....as far as i know in African countries medical facilities r not provided

Thanks bro X1Xi.

One more question, What are the major responsibilities of FSP officers and what is the difference between their roles when they are posted home or aborad?

__________________
Long Live my Homeland

I do perfectly agree with X1Xi. Well said!

Opting any civil service cadre impregnably on the grounds that it will be lucrative, well-paid, full of portentous perks and privileges, quality of accommodation and food etc. is in fact highly indecent gesture, sorry to say.

Firstly, one needs to be very realist i believe while choosing civil services as a career. One should join civil service with an intent to serve the nation no matter it is at home or abroad. Every cadre has its discerning pros and cons. One comes to the reality, and nuts and bolts of a particular service when one joins it.

Secondly, civil service is not about money minting. Civil service is about the honour, prestige and the tag you carry to serve your people and country.

Thirdly, before joining civil service one should analyse what one has got to offer to one's country and service by meticulously assessing one's personality not on the grounds what a particular service has got to offer him. If someone opts for any service on the basis of perks and previleges, i am afraid to say he would prove to be a square peg in a round hole and will end in despair.

Fourthly, if your chosen service/career is your ambition, and you have the inclination then you would enjoy your service and would definitely be able to ameliorate the condition of your countrymen.

Note: Readers have the right to agree or disagree to what i have stated above.

Regards,

__________________
“What we need in this country today is more courage and more belief in the things that we have.”
- Thomas J. Watson (1874-1956)

AoA

Agreed ... the above mentioned reasons are definitely very bad reasons to take up a job like the Civil Services if ... they are the sole reasons !

I agree with the unquoted part of your post as well but the reason why I (or some one else as well) maybe enjoying the posts by CSP Mubeen Meher (X1Xi) and Adil Memon (plus others) may not be that we are looking for the perks and priviliges only.

I think knowing the details before making a decision for yourself is a good idea. You never know some one may be having a genuine reason behind when he looks for a particular privilege in a job e.g. an only child of ailing parents; he should be knowing what facilities the service has to offer for his parents. There can be other genuine reasons as well and they do not overlap with one's sincerity towards the job or towards serving the country.

I am posting this (sort of) clarification because I felt your post might stop the process of information sharing that was luckily triggered after a long period of "no news". I know you did not intend to break the discussion but unintentionally the post might have done that. Please don't take any offence

I'd go a step ahead and request the respected CSPs to take some time out of their busy schedule and post a small experiece of their respective services encompassing the priviliges, nature of job, travel requirements, nature of public relations, etc. whatever they feel like sharing. This would be of a great help for a registered audience of over 22,000 and of course the guests added to it.

I hope I made some sense

__________________
When you have to shoot, shoot. Don't talk. ~ The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly

@MohsinShah

Now you have a point to make, and that's rational too. It's the right of every aspirant to know the ins and outs of each group to better help him/her understand what cadres are all about. Hence, we should seek help from experienced CSPs like X1Xi and other seniors to shed light on these important aspects of bureaucracy. Hopefully, our discussion will move in a positive direction now.

Regards,

__________________
“What we need in this country today is more courage and more belief in the things that we have.”
- Thomas J. Watson (1874-1956)

when ur in the ministry u get posted into one of the several dept...there are diff dept within FSP like protocol/desks associated with diff regions of d world eg SA desk or Middle east desk/cypher dept/administrative /audit...
as the name applies each has desk has peculiar type of responsibilities ..

when ur abroad ur responsibilities are diff as you are there to facilitate ur ambassador in whatever way possible...like coordinating his visits/providing him up to date info reg various issues that might be an issue of discussion etc

overall every FSP officer must have command over his writing/reading/speaking skills.....as a third sec/Asst Dir your major responsibility would be writing briefs/summaries/reports on issues of daily concerns ...as u move up the ladder your interaction with envoys of other countries in d form of meetings increases and hence ur set of responsbilities also become diff...

Actually Customs is a very good job compared to many other services. Customs is called the "royal job". and also you have a lot of time for your family, apart from perks that you enjoy.
and even though it is famous for corruption, customs have good facilities for the people who are not corrupt. also you can earn legal money through many different ways. one of the ways is recovering lost revenues and you get bonuses for that. so you can get rewarded for your hard work.
i am not defending customs because i am in it. if you want to have a comfortable life and are not too worried about dealing with people, then you should join customs.

__________________
Mahmood Khattak
Pakistan Customs Service
36th CTP

Well, I have opted for Foreign Service of Pakistan (FSP) as my first preference, and believe Foreign Service of Pakistan (FSP) is not merely a profession but life. It has several facades which make it distinguished from rest of the cadres. I take this opportunity to highlight few of them.

• In today’s highly transformational world, FSP provides opportunities to its diplomats to compete with best of the best of the world. Challenge and change are inherent in a Foreign Service Officer's professional life of service to his/her country. A diplomat can make a difference in the world. Soon after you join Pakistan Embassy/Mission as 3rd Secretary, your challenges-oriented life embarks upon.
• FSP is a life time learning cadre undoubtedly. Learning and exploring discerning cultures, languages, civilizations etc. are few of the pile novel experiences which a diplomat undergoes during his career. In order to rise to the occasion, FSP officers build their capacities inline with the vibrant and dynamic multi-façade economic, political, social challenges. They are trained at best institutions of the world. Be it bilateral diplomacy or conflict resolution, being a diplomat, you have fair chances of becoming an international figurehead by dint of sagacity, intellect, and diplomacy-oriented skills.
• FSP is probably the only cadre that extends opportunities to solicit, represent, project and cultivate national interest. There is no doubt that our domestic and foreign problems needs equal attention. Our success abroad would surely bolster the prestige of our nation in the comity of the nations. Similarly, our success at home will uplift our society and exalt the image of our leadership abroad. Therefore, all civil service cadres are of equal importance. I stringently believe that diplomacy is the body language of a country. If a country is lightweight and has meager contribution to international politics and economy then it will be difficult for the diplomats to solicit their national interests on profound grounds. Despite these factors, our diplomats have always been able to solicit our national case effectively at every platform.
• One of the main magnets of FSP is the opportunity to travel. FSP officers are posted for a stipulated period of 2 or 3 years. It has two-fold blessing and curse in guise. If an officer is not happy with the type of country he is posted in or he gets tired of it, he knows he’ll get rid of it after a couple of years i.e. blessing indeed. If an officer is content where he is, it would be quite a difficult transition. Hence, FSP officers roam the world and visit almost 7-10 countries during their service tenure.
• Last but not the least; I’d not talk much about the hackneyed saying- living and dinning like diplomats.

I have tried to share my thoughts. Readers have the equal right to agree or disagree to what I have stated above.

Regards,

__________________
“What we need in this country today is more courage and more belief in the things that we have.”
- Thomas J. Watson (1874-1956)

Amin Fahim’s daughter given diplomatic post

Monday December 22, 2008 (1134 PST)


These days Pakistan is striving hard at the diplomatic level to have a greater access to the European markets. First Secretary’s responsibility is even huge and sensitive, considering Pakistan’s terrible security situation and faltering economy with foreign reserves below 8 billion dollar. “Such a high profile posting, without prior Foreign Service experience, will be highly damaging for Pakistan,”
ISLAMABAD: Maliha Makhdoom, daughter of the PPP diehard loyalist and Commerce Minister Makhdoom Amin Fahim (MAF), has been appointed as first secretary to Ireland. She has been hired as a Foreign Service official without fulfilling the prerequisites of appearing in the CSS examination and going through 18-month training in two different academies.

Her appointment has been facilitated at the behest of the Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani. While following PM’s verbal orders, Foreign Secretary’s office moved the summary for appointment of Amin Fahim’s daughter.

While talking to our sources, Maliha Makhdoom confirmed that she would be leaving for her high profile job of a diplomat in the first week of January. When this correspondent asked Maliha Makhdoom if she had taken the CSS examinations as a must requirement, she refused to respond. When this correspondent told her that she had been appointed on the verbal orders of the prime minister, she said there was no harm in it.

This correspondent confronted by asking her if it was the right way to occupy a challenging post of a diplomat. To this she said, “Ask the relevant department.” According to the summary approved by the PM on 28th November, she would draw a salary of $3000 a month. Along with the perks and privileges of a diplomat, she will have a residence with $2500 monthly rent. The summary also says that Maliha Makhdoom, born on 11th February 1980 is appointed as 18-grade officer. Other than her Masters degree, there is no mention of her prior work experience in public service or of her any other relevant training. Maliha Makhdoom did her masters in English Literature from Brunel University, London in 2007.

Although there have been political appointments of the ambassadors, but it has never happened in the history of foreign services that a high profile post of a first secretary is filled by using political influence.

Foreign Office spokesman, when reached for his comment was unaware of any such appointment. After passing the tough CSS examination, the successful candidates are required to take a collective training of 9 months at CSS academy Lahore, followed by another separate training of 9 months at Foreign Services Academy, Islamabad. After eighteen months of rigorous training, final passing out examination under FPSC certifies the candidate for Foreign Office service.

After going through all these procedural requirements, a successful foreign service personnel works on his first assignment as assistant director. After serving for 2 years at the headquarters, the official is then posted abroad as 3rd Secretary for three years.
After a series of postings back to headquarters and abroad, the official reaches the rank of First Secretary. Hence it requires at least ten years of Foreign Service experience to be elevated to such a high position. At some Pakistani missions abroad, First Secretary is the second highest post while at others it’s the third highest.

According to a long-serving diplomat and former Ambassador to Washington Tariq Fatmi, “It’s a very sensitive position. She will not only be privy to all the secret communications but in the absence of the ambassador, she will act as head of the mission.”
He said, “It’s time to move towards professionalism. And nowhere in the world now, political appointments are made at the diplomatic level.” Regarding Maliha Makhdoom’s appointment as First Secretary to Ireland, he said; “Since Ireland is EU member, hence the First Secretary will have a heavy responsibility of fighting Pakistan’s case at a huge platform as EU.”

http://www.paktribune.com/news/index.shtml?209139

__________________
“What we need in this country today is more courage and more belief in the things that we have.”
- Thomas J. Watson (1874-1956)

if a FSP officer resigns after a particular period of lets say 3 or 2 yrs, is he allowed to use the diplomatic passport for the rest of his life ?????