In a surprise announcement, Pakistan’s Government says it will allow Public Servants to compete for lucrative management positions while also inviting private sector experts to join the bureaucracy.
Officers contacted were generally opposed to the decision, one saying that it would favour those who were “in the good books” of Ministers or Federal Secretaries.
Another source said hiring from the private sector would harm the Government’s efforts to reform the bureaucracy.
The source said the Government had decided to induct highly qualified professionals from different fields into Federal Ministries on the pattern of under-secretaries in the United States.
“They would be officially called technical advisers and paid according to market conditions in the private sector for a fixed term; they would be placed above the Federal Secretaries and below the Ministers in terms of policy advice and expert opinion,” the source said.
“This is opposed by Federal Secretaries who believe it would give these experts too much power,” they said.
However, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on the Public Service, Mohammad Shehzad Arbab (pictured) said the changes would allow Public Servants to compete with outsiders for senior positions.
“At present, highly-qualified people with doctorates and master’s degrees are working for donor agencies, and the Government is not bothered to use their expertise for upgrading its own capacity,” Mr Arbab said.
Islamabad, 12 May 2021
