Islamabad:
In a major upheaval, the government seeks dynamic talents of the private sector to reorganize key ministries, inviting experts to direct the positions of federal secretaries in economic, finance and energy affairs, signaling a significant change beyond the traditional bureaucracy.
The government has published advertising during the weekend to hire seven individuals from the “dynamic” private sector for federal secretaries. However, advertising did not appoint divisions, qualification criteria and post descriptions.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also set up a ministerial committee, led by Darrier ISHAQ DAR, to finalize new candidates for the appointment of 22-year-old bureaucrats as executive directors of the World Bank in Washington and the Asian Development Bank in Manila.
The government has invited the requests of “dynamic and experienced professionals for the role of the main accounting managers (ITP), technical advisers, responsible for organizations in key economic fields,” said the announcement. A two -week deadline is given for submission of requests.
Advertising, published on the website of the establishment’s division, did not appoint the divisions, qualification criteria and post descriptions. However, he suggested that the government should hire seven federal secretaries in the private sector to manage the ministries related to the economy.
This is the finance division, the oil division, the energy division, the planning division, the industries and the production division, the national division of food security and education and professional training. These divisions are currently led by officers of the all-powerful Pakistan Administrative Service (PAS).
Currently, Imdad Ullah Bosal is finance secretary, Momin Agha, oil secretary, Fakhre Alam Irfan, power secretary, Awais Manzur Sumra, planning secretary, SAIF Anjum, industry secretary and Waseem Ajmal Chaudhry serves as a national food security secretary.
When contacted, the Minister of Economic Affairs and Establishment, Ahad Khan Cheema, said that no specific position had yet been finalized, adding that the government wanted to build a basin of specialists for key positions, in particular in economic ministries.
Pakistan’s economic ministries are mainly led by PAS officers and there have been criticisms that many of them do not have the required experience to understand the complexity of economic issues.
To solve these low governance problems which probably blocked foreign investments, military and civil leaders created the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC). SIFC was also now converted into a division, like any other division.
There is also an opinion that an individual in the private sector having no public sector experience cannot effectively direct these ministries. The nature of the work is such that sometimes the secretaries must put pressure with the Prime Minister to make the decisions, in particular in the cases where the ministers concerned are not very effective.
Another challenge that the bureaucrats are faced with is that their ministers sometimes lack understanding or courage to make the right decisions. Federal secretaries are often seen filling the shoes of federal ministers. Sometimes the bureaucrats also do not obtain the support of the Prime Minister’s office (PMO).
The government recently reworked the Secretary of Education despite his phenomenal work in the field of public sector education.
“A bad worker argues with his tools,” said Fawad Hasan Fawad, former secretary of the Prime Minister and former Minister of Privatization, while commenting on advertising to hire federal secretaries. “It won’t work,” he added.
“Funding from the public sector is a different horse, which cannot be managed by those who do not understand the constraints of the public sector and the essential responsibility to manage the cash flows of a permanently deficit economy operating on outings and begging bowls,” said Fawad.
A year ago, the government hired the secretary to information technology in the private sector. The government has not yet published any performance report on the operation of the IT sector to determine whether the experience has been successful or not.
The government plans to sign “performance -based contracts” with individuals selected for two years. The advertising said that the note and remuneration of the selected individual will be determined in accordance with government rules and aligned on competitive prices on the market, including the applicable allowances and privileges for the position.
Applicants must have a minimum of 20 years of experience in relevant post-qualification and the maximum age limit is 60 years at the time of appointment, which can be relaxed in exceptional cases in accordance with the orders of the competent authority, according to the establishment’s division.
The establishment’s division’s website shows that the government has invited requests to hire a pao. The candidate must have experience “in public finance, economic policy, budgetary management or related sectors and” experienced experience in the management of significant budgets, tax policy, debt management and the regulation of the financial sector of familiarity “.
The candidate must have a proven capacity to direct the preparation of the budget, tax reform initiatives and public spending management reforms. The requirement of experience clearly indicates that the government wishes to hire the finance secretary.
Similarly, for the oil sector, the candidate must have experience in the oil, energy, mining or public administration sector and proven familiarity with oil operations upstream and or downstream, regulatory executives, monitoring of the mining sector or the formulation of energy sector policy.
For the energy sector, the candidate must have experience in the energy sector, energy management or public administration and proven experience to supervise electricity production, transmission, distribution and regulatory managers.
For the planning and development sector, the candidate must have experience in development planning, public sector reform, infrastructure coordination, economic policy or large -scale project management.
For the industry, a minimum of 20 years of experience in industrial development, public administration, management of the manufacturing sector, promotion of investments or economic planning and for food security, experience in agricultural policy, food security, rural development or public administration is sought by the government.
Selection for Washington
The Prime Minister also constituted a ministerial committee to examine the appropriate and eligible officers of the BS-22 for an appointment against the positions of executive director of the World Bank and the executive director of the AfDB, according to a notification.
These positions became vacant after Pakistan Executive Director with the World Bank, Dr. Tauqir Shah, has become adviser to the Prime Minister, while the mandate of the outgoing executive director of the ADB Noor Ahmad expired last week. Ahmad was invited to continue the filing of his post.
Some retired bureaucrats were also in the race, which have now been excluded from the selection process. Among the main pretenders are the Imdad Ullah Bosal finance secretary, the Secretary of Economic Affairs, Dr. Kazim Niaz, and interior secretary Khurram Agha, said sources.
Vice-Prime Minister Ishaq Dar will chair the ministerial committee, which includes the Minister of Economic Affairs and the Establishment Ahad Cheema, the Minister of Climate Change Dr Musaddiq Malik and the Minister of State for Finance Bilal Kayani.
The Committee will examine the appropriate and eligible officers of BS-22, with work experience and relevant skills. Appropriate and eligible agents will have a set of analysis and decision -making skills of policies, leadership, collaboration, knowledge of multilateral financial institutions, excellent communication and diplomacy skills and social networking capacities.
The Committee will send its appointment of officers appropriate for the two positions to the Prime Minister for its consideration and approval, according to the notification.
