Civil service reforms

The minimum educational qualification to join the civil service should be a post-graduate degree with the provision of adequate salary. Currently, the pay scales of civil servants are much lower than officers of state-owned organisations. Moreover, all recruitments should be made through competitive examinations at the federal and provincial levels by the respective public service commissions on merit with due consideration given to regional quota.
There is also a need to resolve conflicts between civil service groups – generalists and specialists. The dominant managerial generalists tend to behave as commanding officers. It is important to recognise that civil service groups of specialists can play a crucial role in policymaking and administration in view of the extraordinarily complex challenges of governance we face in the country. In this context it should be realised that police and tax officers have very difficult tasks of exercising the coercive powers of the government. Excellent performance by professional civil servants is required for success in these tough fields of the administration.
Taraq Jazy
Islamabad