PAS posts in provinces cut by 604, says Dr Ishrat Hussain

ISLAMABAD: Dr Ishrat Hussain, the prime minister’s adviser on civil service reforms, has said that the cadre strength of Pakistan Administrative Service (PAS) officers in the provinces has been drastically reduced.

Hussain told The News that the present cadre strength of PAS officers in the provinces is 1,725 It has now been reduced to 1,121 releasing 604 positions for the provincial service cadres.

“This would not only remove the hurdles in the way of the provincial service officers but accelerate their prospects for promotion to higher grades,” he said, adding, “In addition, the PCS officers would be inducted directly into PAS through the FPSC.”

The adviser explained that the cadre strength of the Civil Service of Pakistan (CSP) was 350 in 1954 when the CSP cadre was formed. The cadre strength, he said, has been revised and updated several times during the last 67 years.

He said that these reforms are part of government’s attempt to minimise disparities between different cadres, and between cadres and non-cadre officers. “The ultimate goal is to provide a level playing field to officers belonging to all groups, cadre and non-cadre, through open competition,” he said.