Reshuffle in federal bureaucracy likely today

Establishment division faces ire of senators for naming grade-21 officers

ISLAMABAD: After reshuffling the provincial bureaucracy, the interim government is likely to approve today (Tuesday) a reshuffle in the federal bureaucracy particularly at key ministries including that of interior, establishment division and finance.

So far, the caretaker provincial governments on orders of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) have transferred and posted over 2,000 civil servants, including around 1,000 policemen in Punjab.

According to sources in the Establishment Division, the ECP is likely to give approval to the new postings at the federal level with subsequent go-ahead from the caretaker Prime Minister Nasirul Mulk.



The majority of the civil servants at the top positions especially secretaries were appointed by the previous government of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N). However, the interim government has yet not reshuffled the bureaucracy at the federal level for unknown reasons.

In view of this delay, the opposition has also started demanding transfers at the federal level and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has also written a letter to the PM Mulk for reshuffling of bureaucracy.

The bureaucracy in the federal government has remained unchanged. As this bureaucracy is overflowing with PML-N appointees, these partisan bureaucrats are actively threatening the holding of fair and free elections, the PTI chief wrote in a letter dated June 19.

According to sources in the establishment division and the ECP, it is most likely that the final reshuffle at the Centre will be announced on Tuesday [today]. “Yes we are expecting that the ECP will release the orders to change the secretaries of the key ministries,” said an official in the Establishment Division.

The ECP has already sought from the division list of 180 senior civil servants of grade-20, -21 and -22 working at key positions in the provinces and the Centre.

Another senior official at the division said the key officials like secretaries of establishment division, interior ministry, finance ministry, planning and development are likely to be replaced with those recommended to the ECP. “About 8 to 10 major ministries may witness change of their heads,” he said.

The division recently came under fire from senators at the standing committee on cabinet division for recommending names of bureaucrats in grade-21.



As a practice, the Establishment Division forwards three names against any post at the federal and provincial level for top notch transfers. This year one inspector general and one chief secretary have been appointed by the respective governments.

“Is it not an insult to seniors when you appoint a junior officer at top positions,” the committee chairman Senator Talha Mahmood asked a senior additional secretary of the division.

Mahmood also asked the officers to share all record of the recent transfers and postings including that of the junior officers of grade-21 who had been appointed in provinces at senior positions.

In the past, the division has been blamed for promoting blue-eyed bureaucrats and ignoring those whose promotions are due at the behest of the political governments. Over 200 petitions with regard to promotions of civil servants are pending in different courts across the country.