Call for urgent civil service reform

ISLAMABAD: Dr Adnan Rafiq, member (Governance), Planning Commission of Pakistan, has declared that civil service reform is no longer optional but a survival imperative.

He was delivering a keynote address at a seminar on “Pakistan Governance Roadmap 2025: Civil Service Reform, Now or Never” organised here by the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE). Dr Faheem Jehangir, dean (Policy), PIDE, moderated.

Dr Rafiq said repeated reform efforts since 1950s stalled due to political resistance, bureaucratic inertia and lack of continuity. Influenced by colonial-era practices, rapidly-changing socio-economic requirements, technological penetration and global disruptions, Pakistan’s bureaucracy needs an urgent upgradation.

Led by Federal Minister of Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives, and the member (Governance), Planning Commission, the speaker presented 47 recommendations for improving the institutional structure and practices of the civil service to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of public service delivery.

He presented Pakistan Governance Roadmap 2025 which envisions a smart civil service that is specialised, meritocratic, accountable, responsive, and trusted. This shift would replace process compliance with measurable outcomes, domain expertise and citizen-centric governance. He enumerated that the transformation was structured across five pillars: specialised recruitment exams focusing on critical thinking rather than rote memorization, competitive and advanced training linked to promotions, the creation of a National Executive Service (NES) for senior leadership positions with mandatory lateral entry from the private sector, performance management systems that tie individual goals to ministerial outcomes through a Key Performance Indicator-based evaluations and multi-source feedback and merit-linked compensation, promotions and contributory pensions.

His roadmap also emphasised institutional strengthening including modernisation of the Federal Public Service Commission through digital platforms and regional outreach, creation of specialised service groups in law, economics, energy, engineering and planning, and professionalisation of ministries through human resource coordinators and senior executive scales. It further highlights the importance of stronger federal-provincial coordination through revitalised forums and the empowerment of local governments with devolved authority, revenue mobilisation and inclusive elections to strengthen grassroots democracy.

Adopting star principles stable, transparent, agile and responsible governance, the roadmap also introduces sectoral reforms powered by digital transformation. Initiatives such as the Open PSDP portal, the National Job Portal, and climate-resilient recovery frameworks are designed to enhance transparency, inclusivity and accountability while promoting economic growth.

Dr Rafiq argued for separate specialised functions of policy, regulations and execution within the governance framework and cautioned that adoption and implementation of smart framework may face challenges including deep-seated cultural resistance within bureaucracy and outdated financial and regulatory practices. He stressed that sustained political will and stakeholder consensus would be critical to ensuring continuity and success.

Concluding the seminar, he emphasised that reforms could not remain on paper but must be owned, institutionalised and consistently implemented. He reiterated that Pakistan’s future depended on building a civil service that was agile, citizen-serving and performance-driven and that’s what “we observe from other successful examples abroad”.

The seminar ended with a resounding consensus: civil service reform is not just an option, it is a matter of national interest since Pakistan’s prosperity is linked to an efficient and competent civil service.