Time to turn page on 1973 civil service model, says Ahsan Iqbal

Islamabad : Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Prof Ahsan Iqbal emphasised the need to rethink the 1973 civil service model in light of new realities, saying systemic barriers rooted in self-preservation should be done away with as the ‘environment and realities’ have changed altogether.

"People are much more informed and empowered today, so they expect significantly higher levels of service delivery. We need a civil service that is agile, proactive, performance-driven and responsive to modern-day realities," the minister told the Civil Services Reform Committee during a meeting here.

The committee was constituted by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to deliberate on a comprehensive restructuring plan aimed at transforming the country's bureaucracy to meet contemporary challenges.

Participants, including senior officials from the Ministry of Planning and Development, the Economic Affairs Division and the Cabinet Secretariat, endorsed the introduction of a cluster-based system for civil service restructuring. They highlighted the importance of addressing challenges related to inducting professionals into the public sector.

Minister Prof Ahsan observed that the skill sets of many public sector officials were often misaligned with the demands of their roles in the context of changing times.

He stressed the need to adopt best practices from the corporate sector to bridge this gap and improve efficiency within government institutions.

The minister also highlighted a severe shortage of technical professionals across ministries and emphasised the critical need to address the deficit to ensure public sector organisations are equipped with the necessary expertise.

He underlined the urgent need to expand occupational groups in technical fields, such as engineering and information technology, to build a strong professional base within the civil service for tackling technical challenges.

Prof Ahsan questioned the rationale of keeping English as a compulsory subject for entry into the civil service, noting that many talented students are rejected solely due to failing the English language paper.

"If English were the defining criterion, our civil service would have been among the best-performing in the world. Unfortunately, English has been used as a tool of discrimination against the common citizen and the majority of our population," he insisted.

The minister proposed that Urdu be offered as an alternative compulsory subject in the Central Superior Services examination, saying such an initiative will promote inclusivity, reflect national identity and elevate Urdu as the national language.