Reforming Pakistan’s Civil Services: A Path to Better Governance

Civil services is portrayed as the backbone of Pakistan. Civil servants ensures the continuity of the state, from preserving law and order to implementing development projects. Despite of their essential role, Pakistan’s civil services are questioned for politization, inefficiency, and resistance to reforms. Structural and administrative reforms must be needed to make them effective in the 21st century.

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Historically, we have inherited the legacy of the British Raj from the very start;trained, well-maintained, and elite officers who controls the state machinery. Over the decades, the system has lost its efficiency due to political interference, lack of meritocracy, and outdated structures. We are living in modern era, where the need for reforming civil services is stronger than ever.

Recently, a committee headed by the Minister of Planning Ahsan Iqbal, was formed by PM Shahbaz Sharif for the purpose of drafting recommendations(within one month) for the improvement of civil service structure and align it with modern-day requirements. This is a good initiative towards reform. But the question is: Would they prioritize it or leave it as every government does?

Interestingly, several reform initiatives have been introduced for the improvement of Pakistan’s civil services e.g; Cornelius Report(1959), the Bhutto-era reforms of 1973, and the later commissions in the 2000s and 2010s. Their purpose was to refine merit-based recruitment, performance evaluation, accountability, and training. Unfortunately, most of these reforms failed due to political pressure, resistance from within the bureaucracy, frequent changes in governments, and most importantly the implementation mechanism’s absence. The bureaucracy of Pakistan is the linchpin of administration, yet it struggles from inefficiency, corruption, and over-centralization. Strengthening and modernizing civil services is therefore key to strengthening the state.

Deplorably, Pakistan’s civil services is going through severe hurdles that have stagnated the continuity of good governance: Firstly, the civil services has been subdued to unbridled politization, where frequent transfers and postings are often contingent upon political loyalty, which cripples merit and erode professionalism. Secondly, it goes over a high ratio of corruption, due to fragile accountability, which leads to misuse of authority for personal gain. It is not simply a perception: Pakistan is ranked at 133 out of 180 countries in Transparency International’s Corruption Index 2024, which is a cue of how institutional weaknesses continue to halt governance.

Thirdly, the time-bound promotion environment has exhausted the system of good governance. When prioritizing serving years rather than actual performance, wouldn’t innovation and creativity be stifled? Fourthly, the civil service remains confined by outdated laws and outmoded training models. The programs proposed decades ago fail to facilitate officers with the skills required to confront today’s governance challenges—from digitalization and climate change to globalization and complex policy innovation. Lastly, one of the most dominant issue in the civil services is the assignation of individuals to senior positions from outside the system, often without experience or necessary qualifications. These appointments often require political connections instead of competence, which crushes merit-based structure, compromises efficiency, and demotivates career bureaucrats. Poor decision-making, disruption of the career progression of qualified civil servants are the outcomes of this problem as well as it undermines the overall system of governance. Until these problems are solved, no reform could be expected.

Max Weber, a sociologist known for his work on bureaucracy, said: “The bureaucratic administration is the most rational form of administration, but it needs reform to remain responsive to the society”. Therefore, we have to overwhelm the problems that have been created due to the outdated laws in a rapid-changing world.

However, current civil services requires a lot of reforms. Firstly, the recruitment and promotion should be on merit. Assure postings or promotions on competence and performance, not political affiliations. Secondly, the de-politicization of civil services is utterly necessary. Establishment of independent boards for transfer and postings to reduce political interference should be of crucial matters. Thirdly, modernize training at academies to include digital governance, policy analysis, climate adaptation, and services delivery management.

Fourthly, digital transformation is necessary for civil services. Introduce e-governance to reduce paperworks, speed up services, and minimize corruption. Fifthly, it is crucial to reform the appointment process by assuring that senior positions are based on merit, experience, and a proven track record within the civil service. Lastly, performance-based incentive should be the most important reform of all. Link promotion and financial benefits to measurable performance outcomes rather than years in service. Only then will true change and innovation come.

Ostensibly, civil services is the backbone of Pakistan, but without these reforms, it becomes a hurdle in good governance. To meet the needs of the 21st century, Pakistan’s civil services needs these reforms to be implemented in true forms. Reforming bureaucracy is not just a bureaucratic necessity, it is a national imperative for strengthening democracy, ensuring good governance, and delivering prosperity to people. The time to act is now.