ISLAMABAD: A parliamentary committee observed on Wednesday that the Federal Public Service Commission’s (FPSC) mandate, structure and mode of examination are outdated and irrelevant.

PPP Senator Taj Haider argued that the FPSC’s mandate served the objectives of the colonial period, while the chairman of the Special Standing Committee of the Senate to examine the Annual Report of FPSC 2015, PML-F Senator Syed Muzafar Hussain Shah said it was time that the FPSC was made “more effective and relevant”.

The special committee was formed after the annual report was presented in Senate in 2015. The committee was directed to examine whether the mandate, structure, syllabus and mode of examination met the contemporary needs of governance and in the delivery of services and other such matters.

Committee members called for comparative statement of competitive examinations in countries such as India, Bangladesh, the United Kingdom and Canada. Senator Shah also asked the secretaries of the FPSC and the Establishment Division for their input on the matter.

He argued that while the committee was trying to push for change, the bureaucracy “feels that all is well as long as there is no change in the institution”.

Committee to meet again today to debate revision of FPSC structure and mandate further

The committee members also questioned the composition of the FPSC board, which consists mostly of retired civil service and military officers. They believed that technocrats and specialists should also be made permanent board members.

“The FPSC is not a welfare organisation for senior retired officers. 50pc of the board should be preferably serving civil servants. The remaining should be new blood that is aware of the current trends in the market. Experts from the IT industry should also be part of it. And the board should consist of only 15 to 20pc retired individuals, if at all,” said Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf Senator Nauman Wazir Khattak.

Establishment Secretary Maroof Afzal said experts were invited when needed, but to include them would require the board to be expanded.

The committee also observed that in an age of specialisation, the FPSC should also produce relevant officers. They criticised the system wherein a secretary held three to four different portfolios in a single year.

“How can an official be commerce secretary one day, water and power secretary four months later and then become an expert in agriculture after another three months,” Senator Khattak said.

The committee chairman seconded the member by adding that it was about time that the right person was selected and appointed for the right job for efficient and effective functioning of service delivery.

Senator Haider emphasised the need for ensuring transparency to retain the trust of the people in the government’s system.

“The problem is with the concept. It is important that the colonial orientation is transformed into a pro-people and pro-service approach,” he said.

The special committee also intends to call in human resource specialists, civil society and media members and so on to ascertains their views on whether the FPSC structure and mandate needs to be revised in view of the contemporary requirements of the government. It will meet again on today (Thursday) to debate the matter further.

Published in Dawn, December 21st, 2017