ISLAMABAD, Sept 29: The National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW) has recommended reservation of 50 per cent seats in all the sanctioned posts of BPS-17 in the executive and secretariat groups under the federal as well as provincial governments, official sources said.

In a meeting here recently, the NCSW said it was essential to recruit women in greater numbers in BPS-17 and BPS-18 to fill the gape in the higher echelons of bureaucracy.

The NCSW with financial assistance from the Asian Development Bank had conducted a study to ascertain the percentage of women employees in public sector organisations. The recommendations have been made on the basis of these findings.

The commission said that initially the step should be taken for a period of five years or till such a time when a satisfactory balance was achieved.

About the department of law and justice, it said there was a negligible number of women as high court judges, registrars, district and sessions judges, additional session judges, senior civil judges and presiding officers of special courts and police prosecutors.

It said a special committee should be formed for recruitment of women lawyers on these positions and a quota of 33 per cent for each the post be fulfilled.

At the federal secretariat level, there was no woman federal secretary and, similarly, there were no female additional secretaries, it added.

“The situation can be redressed either by nomination of women officers who have completed the required length of service for promotion to BPS-21 or BPS-22. The condition of length of service can also be waived in exceptional cases and women can be employed through selection from the private sector who qualify for the posts.”

In this regard, special research cells in the planning and development departments be created, consisting of four female research officers of BPS-17, headed by a male officer in BPS-19, fresh postgraduates be inducted to evaluate the development schemes with a gender perspective and prepare reports to be submitted to the additional chief secretary or the secretary planning in case of the federal government, it said.

The advertisements announcing vacancies should state that women are encouraged to apply and that the department concerned offer women-friendly environment for work.

The public service commissions should monitor the status of women employment in public sector organizations in coordination with the establishment division and provincial services departments to ascertain whether government policy was being followed in letter and spirit.