PM Imran okays new rotation policy for civil servants

Prime Minister Imran Khan has approved a new rotation policy to ensure that the civil servants belonging to the Pakistan Administrative Service (PAS) and the Police Service of Pakistan (PSP) do not stay in a single province or station for more than a specified number of years.

The new Rotation Policy 2020 will be applicable from January 2021 and will replace the rotation policy that was promulgated in 2000. The new policy has linked promotion of civil servants to implementation of the rotation policy.

Under the new policy, the officers belonging to the PAS and the PSP groups will not be able to avail the wedlock policy. The existing wedlock policy allows posting of serving husband and wife at the same station.

It also allows unmarried female government servants to work at the place of residence of their parents and the married female government servants at the place of residence/posting of their husbands who are not in government employment.

The officer will also not be able to get an assignment in violation of the rotation policy which will be applied without any exception.

The civil servants will be posted outside their native provinces after completion of their specialized training and officials who have remained posted at a particular geographical location for a long time will now be posted to locations where there is a need of officers.

According to the policy, male officers from grade-17 to grade-19 are bound to serve in 'hard areas’ for two years.

Male officers selected through the Central Superior Services (CSS) for the All-Pakistan Service will not be transferred from their native provinces for five years of till their promotion to grade-18. The female officers will service in their native province for 3 years or till their promotion to grade-18.

The officers of grade-21 and grade-22 will be transferred or posted according to the need of the province. The posting in a federal department working in a province will be deemed as posting in that particular province.

The Establishment Division will compile details of postings twice a year in January and July in the light of the rotation policy. No federal officer will now be allowed to spend more than 10 years in a particular province.

According to a source, the PTI led federal government introduced the new policy to plug the loopholes in the old policy, which at provides leeway to an officer to return to his or her desired location after spending a brief time at a location by applying for leave or training.