Chitral Times Report
ISLAMABAD: The decision to allow the serving civil servants to compete with outsiders for MP Scales was made by the Cabinet after careful deliberations at the Cabinet Committee on Institutional Reforms (CCIR). Infact, we are opening up top Secretariat posts, so far reserved for generalist cadre officers, to technical experts from private sector as well as from within the government.
Explaining the rationale behind this decision, SAPM on Establishment, Mr. Mohammad Shehzad Arbab stated that we allow our highly qualified officers with Ph.Ds and Masters from top universities to work for donor agencies but we do not allow them to use their expertise for upgrading our own capacity. There is no reservation or quota for the civil servants and they have to compete with others from outside the government. He added that generalists without Ph.Ds, Masters and requisite experience in the field are not eligible to apply.
Out of total 29,000 posts of officer cadre in the Federal Government, only 108 posts belong to the MP scales- a miniscule fraction (0.37 percent) of the total. The opening up would provide a larger pool of applicants and level playing field to all those who meet the eligibility criteria and can make it through an open and competitive process. Mr. Arbab stressed that given the dearth of competent people, staying in the government, we have to find innovative ways to retain them.
The resignations under the existing rules mean permanent severance from government service and the expertise and the experience they gain in MP positions are no longer available to us resulting in diminution of our institutional capacity. The maximum limit to serve in these scales is five years which is not renewable.
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Meanwhile Chairperson Pay and Pension Commission Ms. Nargis Sethi called on the Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue, Mr. Shaukat Tarin, at the Finance Division today. SA PM on Finance and Revenue Dr. Waqar Masood Khan and Secretary Finance Division were also present during the meeting. The Chairperson Pay and Commission briefed the Finance Minister about the working of the Pay and Pension Commission to streamline the existing pay and pension structure as per the mandate of the Commission. She outlined the working of sub-groups under the Commission which have been assigned different tasks to identify distortions in the existing system of disbursement of pay and pensions of the Government officers in Federal, Provincial and other allied departments and organizations.
The Chairperson also apprised the Finance Minister about challenges in the way of harmonization of Pay and Pension system across the country which includes disparity in allowances, perks and other benefits as well as burgeoning expenditure of the pensions on national exchequer which is not sustainable in the long run, she added. In his remarks, the Finance Minister appreciated the efforts being made by the Pay and Pension Commission for streamlining the prevailing system of emoluments based on principles of equity, fairness and transparency. He directed to chalk out short, medium and long term plans for reformation of pay and pension system in the public sector over a period of time.
There is no short term solution to this problem, he stressed. The end goal is to make the government employer of choice for the talented youth. There is an increased need to work out ranges for linking compensation with performance. This will ensure meritocracy in recruitment and result in improved service delivery in the public sector.
In his concluding remarks, the Finance Minister stated that there is a pressing need to rationalize the existing workforce and adhere to a performance-driven compensation system for smooth transition to e-governance. He affirmed full support and facilitation to the Commission on the occasion.
