Federal Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal has proposed that bureaucrats should be promoted based on performance and competence rather than primarily on seniority.
Speaking at a multi-party consultation on civil service reforms on Saturday, Iqbal said the proposed framework contains 46 recommendations, with broad agreement reached on 43 of them.
The reforms aim to create a more specialized, merit-based and accountable civil service capable of dealing with Pakistan’s economic, technological and development challenges.
The proposed changes include creating specialized professional cadres in areas such as health, education, finance, information technology, agriculture, engineering and commerce.
Iqbal said the current system can place officers in fields unrelated to their academic background or professional expertise. The proposed model would allow civil servants to build long-term expertise in specific sectors.
The framework also calls for measurable performance indicators and outcome-based assessments to link career progression with actual results.
The minister further called for a more inclusive recruitment system, saying excessive emphasis on advanced English proficiency can disadvantage capable candidates from less privileged educational backgrounds.
He said the ultimate objective was to build a professional and citizen-focused administration that could turn government policies into measurable development results.
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