ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday ordered a comprehensive review of the country’s sluggish civil service, setting a one-month deadline for a high-level committee to propose reforms aimed at modernising a bureaucracy widely seen as a drag on governance and development.
In a high-level meeting, he announced the formation of a civil service reform committee headed by Planning and Development Minister Ahsan Iqbal, an MIT-trained technocrat, tasked with overhauling a decades-old bureaucracy long criticised for inefficiency, excessive red tape, and outdated practices.
The prime minister called for a complete overhaul of recruitment, promotion, and performance evaluation systems, along with integrating modern technology to streamline and strengthen the country’s ageing administrative machinery.
“We need a sustainable system that keeps pace with today’s demands,” Sharif said, adding that good governance and easing the burden on ordinary citizens must be at the heart of any reform.
The directive comes amid growing calls for a leaner, more efficient bureaucracy as the country faces mounting economic and governance challenges. The committee has been instructed to consult all relevant stakeholders and submit its report within a month.
The planned reforms include recommendations for merit-based hiring, implementation of performance-based key performance indicators (KPIs), reform of the Annual Confidential Report (ACR) system, and enhancement of officer training through new technologies.
A statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office said that the committee will also study civil service models in neighbouring countries to benchmark Pakistan’s system.
“Reforms that make the bureaucracy people-friendly and efficient are a top priority for this government,” Sharif emphasised.
The prime minister’s message was clear: the civil service must evolve quickly. Observers note that previous committees have often produced limited results, but the government has set a tight deadline for concrete proposals.
The move, framed as a push to “bring the civil service into the 21st century,” reflects mounting frustration within Sharif’s administration over what officials describe as chronic inefficiency, red tape, and institutional inertia.
The civil service, a colonial-era holdover, is often criticised for rigid hierarchies and lack of performance-based accountability.
The meeting was attended by federal ministers Azam Nazeer Tarar, Ahad Cheema, Awais Leghari, Ali Pervaiz Malik, as well as advisers, Rana Sanaullah and Dr Jehanzeb Khan, secretary of the apex committee at the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC).
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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