A majority of ministries and divisions have informed Prime Minister Imran Khan that they are unable to appoint heads of companies due to absence of service rules.
After a passage of over two years now, they have said that service rules are a major hurdle to the appointment of heads of firms.
The prime minister had given deadlines for appointments on key positions, however, the ministries and divisions stated that the absence of service rules was an obstacle.
The cabinet, chaired by the prime minister, has now directed to frame service rules to appoint the heads of companies. In this regard, the Establishment Division apprised the cabinet that cases for appointment of heads/ CEOs/ MDs had been processed by the administrative ministries/ divisions.
The Establishment Division was consulted under Rule 11(C) of the Rules of Business 1973 as the division was mandated to ensure effective implementation of policies regarding appointments in the federal government.
The federal cabinet, in its meeting held on October 27, decided, “The cabinet took notice of the presentation by the Establishment Division on existing vacancies of CEOs/ MDs in various divisions and directed that all positions be filled within three months without failure. The minister and secretary concerned shall be personally responsible for implementing the decision.
“In case a division cannot fill any vacancy within the given timeframe, reasons thereof shall be communicated to the Establishment Division within one week. The Establishment Division shall present the same before the cabinet within a fortnight.”
The Cabinet Division circulated the above decision among all secretaries/ additional secretaries and the Establishment Division requested all ministries/ divisions to share the requisite information on an immediate basis. About 15 ministries/ divisions responded, of which seven identified 34 positions which could not be filled within three months with reasons.
Seven ministries/ divisions did not provide requisite reply to the Establishment Division in line with the decision of the federal cabinet wherein it could be presumed that they shall fill the posts within the stipulated time of three months with the exception of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) which were under consideration for merger, liquidation and privatisation or under litigation, etc where the timeframe for appointment of CEOs/ MDs could not be determined.
Around 17 ministries/ divisions provided nil/ filled report.
During discussion, the cabinet members asked about the reasons given by the ministries/ divisions for not being able to fill the vacant positions. They were informed that a majority of the ministries/ divisions had expressed their inability to abide by the given timelines due to the absence of service rules. It was also highlighted that in some cases the service rules envisaged 100% filling of vacancies through promotion.
In the absence of any suitable candidates, the positions remain vacant. The Establishment Division secretary pointed out that the rules provided for filling the vacancies through initial appointment where the vacancy could not be filled through promotion due to the absence of suitable candidates.
Secretary to the prime minister apprised the meeting that the Prime Minister’s Office had already given the timeframe to all ministries/ divisions to frame/ amend the service rules. The members expressed dissatisfaction over the inordinate delay in filling such important positions and suggested that no further extension in time be allowed beyond three months.
The cabinet considered the summary titled “Existing Vacancies of CEOs/ MDs in Ministries/ Divisions and their Attached Departments”, submitted by the Establishment Division, and directed that all ministries/ divisions shall ensure finalisation of service rules and consequent appointment of heads of organisations within the timeframe given by the cabinet.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 4th, 2020.
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