ISLAMABAD:
A Senate committee on Monday expressed concerns over delays in the general recruitment process of the Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC), which currently takes at least two years, and directed the Commission to expedite implementation.
The session of the Senate Committee on Delegated Legislation was chaired by Senator Naseema Ehsan.
The panel reviewed the rules relating to CSS and General Recruitment Examinations and reviewed the regulations under the National Archives Act, 1993 and the Archival Records (Preservation and Export Control) Act, 1975.
The committee was informed about the reforms in the civil servant evaluation system and recruitment through the CSS examination.
Members expressed concern over delays in the general FPSC recruitment process, which currently takes at least two years.
The FPSC secretary informed the committee that computer-based tests (CBT) and MCQ-based tests are being introduced to reduce the duration to one year. The President asked the FPSC to expedite implementation.
The committee reiterated its previous recommendation to increase the upper age limit and number of attempts for the CSS exam, arguing that this would benefit candidates from remote and underdeveloped areas, especially Balochistan.
However, officials at the Manpower Division and FPSC maintained that such changes were not feasible due to service-related issues.
Members also raised the issue of women-friendly labor policies, with the chair directing authorities to ensure that measures such as job postings support family stability.
The FPSC informed the committee that the CSS program is under review and will be refined, while issues related to outdated terminology in the FPSC rules and minority representation were flagged for detailed briefing at the next meeting.
The committee also reviewed the draft rules for the National Archives and expressed concerns over the lack of coordination between the federal and provincial archives, especially with regard to ancient documents from archaeological sites such as Mehrgarh and Neri Kalat.
The President highlighted the lack of a clear digitalization framework and asked the relevant authorities to make a comprehensive presentation at the next meeting on the preservation of archaeological records and the digitalization plan of the National Archives.
Earlier this month, a Senate committee urged the FPSC to allow CSS candidates two exam attempts per year and raise the upper age limit to 35 years.
The recommendation was made at a meeting of the subcommittee of the Senate Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat, held in Parliament under the chairmanship of Senator Saleem Mandviwala.
