In the ever-evolving landscape of governance, civil services play a pivotal role in translating policies into public good. Yet, in many developing countries, the civil service remains fragmented, sluggish and vulnerable to political winds. Reform efforts often falter because they seek to patch over cracks rather than reshape the structure itself. What is truly required is to carve the civil service into a monolithic whole—a seamless, unified institution capable of resilient, consistent and effective governance. This metaphor of carving resonates with the monumental task of sculpting ancient monoliths—painstakingly removing what is redundant, shaping what is necessary and creating a structure that endures across generations.
Civil services in many post-colonial states have inherited fragmented structures—created for colonial control, not national development. Over the years, layers of political interference, procedural redundancy and departmental silos have further fractured the system.
In Pakistan, this fragmentation manifests vividly in the uneasy relationship between the Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC) and the Provincial Public Service Commissions (PPSCs). Key areas of concern include:
Overlapping Jurisdiction: Pakistan Administrative Service (PAS) officers dominate key provincial posts, often sidelining the Provincial Management Service (PMS) officers who serve their entire careers in the provinces.
Conflicting Career Paths: PMS and PCS (SG & EG Group) officers face stagnant promotions compared to their federal counterparts, despite equivalent service tenures and responsibilities.
Non-uniform Recruitment Standards: FPSC and PPSCs conduct separate exams with distinct syllabi, creating disparity in officer quality and training.
Dual Loyalty Dilemma: Officers transferred between federal and provincial roles often face unclear lines of accountability and conflicting service rules.
Loopholes and Exploitations: Section 10 and OPS Postings
Adding to the fragmentation, Section 10 of the Civil Servants Act (CSA), 1973, originally designed to facilitate temporary postings “in the public interest,” has become a loophole frequently exploited to post junior officers on Own Pay Scale (OPS). This practice enables bypassing of regular promotions and seniority lists, creating serious discord in the bureaucracy that boils down to tell upon the overall performance and governance of a province:
Discord Among Officers: Junior officers posted on OPS, often through political influence, perform duties above their substantive ranks, causing discontent among senior officers who are overlooked for such postings.
Undermining Hierarchy and Morale: The meritocratic structure of the civil service is eroded when junior officers, lacking experience, are given key administrative posts, damaging the morale and professional growth of senior officers.
Deputation on Key Management Posts: Officers from other service groups or even other provinces are posted on deputation to influential posts in violation of the principle of cadre strength and functional expertise, exacerbating inter-service rivalries.
The Monolithic Whole: A Reformative Vision
A truly monolithic civil service does not suppress the diversity of roles within it but integrates these varied functions into a cohesive, resilient whole. Such a system is governed by the shared values of integrity, efficiency and national service, where each part complements the other to achieve seamless governance. The aim is to create an institution that functions harmoniously rather than fragmenting into competing service groups or isolated administrative silos. The example of the Singaporean Civil Service demonstrates how diverse agencies can function effectively within a single administrative framework when bound by a common meritocratic culture. This allows for coherence in policy execution without compromising specialized expertise. Pakistan needs a similar National Civil Service Framework, jointly governed by the Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC) and the Provincial Public Service Commissions (PPSCs). This framework should clearly define transparent career paths, delineate service domains and regulate inter-service postings. Such measures will help eliminate ad hoc practices like Own Pay Scale (OPS) appointments and politically motivated deputations, restoring professionalism and predictability to civil service careers.
Chiseling Away Redundancy and Loopholes
Reform must focus on removing inefficiencies and legal loopholes that hinder merit-based progression. Like a sculptor revealing form by removing excess material, Pakistan must eliminate the misuse of Section 10 of the Civil Servants Act and the culture of OPS postings, which allow junior officers to bypass seniority unjustly. This requires amending the Civil Servants Act to ensure that postings align with officers’ substantive grades. Deputations should be strictly regulated, permitted only in cases of exceptional technical need, rather than being used to reward political loyalty. Additionally, recruitment examinations and training standards for FPSC and PPSCs must be harmonized to ensure uniform competency and preparedness across all services. Germany’s federal civil service offers a model of how collaboration can be institutionalized across federal and state levels through unified training and consistent service rules. Pakistan should adopt a Rotational Posting System (RPS), allowing federal and provincial officers to serve in each other’s domains within a clearly regulated framework. This would foster mutual understanding, break down bureaucratic silos and eliminate the arbitrary use of deputations and OPS appointments that currently disrupt inter-governmental coordination.
Building Structural Integrity Through Merit and Ethics
The strength of any administrative structure lies in its commitment to merit and ethics. South Korea’s civil service reforms illustrate how strictly merit-based promotions and postings can reduce favoritism and political interference. Pakistan must similarly establish Civil Service Integrity Commissions (CSIC) tasked with auditing postings and promotions. Performance Review Boards (PRBs) should be empowered to assess the suitability of officers for key management roles based on merit, not patronage. The role may be exercised by the Human Resource Development (HRD) wing of the Establishment already mandated for the purpose, in close liaison with the Performance Management & Reforms Unit (PMRU) of Chief Secretary’s Office in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Such oversight mechanisms will help safeguard the civil service from external influences that compromise its effectiveness.
Embracing Technology as a Binding Agent
Digital technology can serve as the unifying thread that binds disparate parts of the civil service into a coherent whole. Estonia’s e-governance model, which integrates multiple agencies through a single digital platform, exemplifies how digital solutions can streamline government functions and reduce bureaucratic fragmentation. Pakistan should develop a Civil Service Management Information System (CSMIS) to integrate personnel records, track career progression and monitor performance. Again, the function may be taken up by the HRD wing of the Establishment Department in the Provinces in liaison with the PMRU in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. This system would automatically flag irregularities such as OPS postings or unauthorized deputations, promoting transparency and data-driven decision-making in human resource management.
Practical Reform Roadmap for Pakistan:
- Institutional Reforms
- Establish a National Civil Service Council (NCSC) for joint FPSC-PPSCs’ coordination.
- Amend/ Remove the Section 10 of the CSA, 1973 to remove discretionary loopholes like OPS postings.
- Harmonize recruitment and service rules across federal and provincial cadres.
- Structural Reforms
- Define clear cadre jurisdictions.
- Abolish the inequitable Moeen Qureshi formula of 1993, which disproportionately favored Federal Civil Service officers over their Provincial Civil Service counterparts.
- Limit deputations to technical posts with a fixed tenure and competitive selection.
- Cultural Reforms
- Cultivate a meritocratic and ethical culture through leadership academies and public service ethics training.
- Promote inter-service camaraderie over competition through integrated postings
- Process Reforms
- Digitize posting and transfer processes.
- Implement transparent, merit-based appointment systems for all management posts.
Conclusion: From Fragmentation to Legacy
Carving a civil service into a monolithic whole is not a short-term fix; it is a generational reform. It demands visionaries who look beyond patronage networks and transient gains and who can sculpt an enduring system of governance. If achieved, such a civil service will not be a brittle structure swayed by populism or favoritism, but a timeless edifice—unified in purpose, seamless in function and resilient in structure—standing as a legacy for generations to come.
The writer is a BS-19 officer of Provincial Management Service, Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
