New ‘Magna Carta’ of the Pakistan Civil Service

Group rivalry among civil service groups has reached its climax leading top bureaucracy into poor performance.

Group rivalry among civil service groups has reached its climax, leading the top bureaucracy into an unending litigation as well as poor performance. The legal battle among the provincial management services and the district management group has now reached the apex court.

Severe differences among several cadres of bureaucracy magnified last week after the issuance of new statutory notification which is now being described as the ‘Magna Carta’ of the Civil Service of Pakistan. Interestingly, it has been prepared by the Establishment Division and according to some civil servants, by certain blue-eyed officers sitting inside the prime minister’s office.

I was in constant touch with several senior officers to know the facts last week. These officers, while commenting on the latest development, observed: “The new law only empowers one group to the disadvantage of all other occupational groups in general and office management/secretariat group in particular.” One of my friends, who is currently serving as a bureaucratic secretary commented that no reforms were implemented in the civil services. Most junior officers were dissatisfied.

It is indeed the result of group rivalry and oppression of other groups by the Pakistan Administrative Services being at the helm of affairs, observed one of the section officers of the 39th common. “We’re facing excesses of the Establishment Division every now and then. We come through the same combined competitive examination but are treated pejoratively.”

Another senior officer of the civil service’s information group observed that via the said law, select officials have not only been allocated a lion’s share from the secretariat group’s seats. Officials said, “All the posts of deputy secretary under the federal government and all posts of and above the rank of joint secretary or borne on the strength of a corporation, setup or established by, or an organisation or an establishment subordinate to the centre.” This is sheer violation of the Civil Servant Act, 1973 and provisions of articles four, nine and 25 of the Constitution as quoted in the latest judgment of the Supreme Court, he elaborated.

Whatever the situation, this is a fact that this new row has not only developed serious differences among various cadres of civil service but also marred performance of bureaucracy. Immediate intervention to quell differences is necessary.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 27^th, 2014.