Ansar Abbasi

Unplanned and whimsical postings at senior levels in the bureaucracy have turned the federal secretariat into a hotchpotch entity with vast majority of secretaries having no prior experience of the ministries they are leading. Out of the 44 federal secretaries serving as administrative heads of the ministries/divisions, only four have previously served in government agencies assigned to them. For others, the divisions allocated to them were a totally new experience.

According to a study conducted by The News, most of the top mandarins in the bureaucracy instead of leading from the front have been made to get on-job training because of whimsical transfers that are not commensurate with their experience, qualification and career profile.

For most members of the bureaucracy, career planning has simply gone to dogs. Retired secretary Syed Shahid Husain even scoffs at the suggestion of "career-planning". He says, "It (career planning) was never on the cards. Look at the history of the country's bureaucracy and you would find nepotism in senior level appointments and the situation today has gone from bad to worse," Husain said.
He lamented that while representing Pakistan in international forums as secretary to the government of Pakistan, bureaucrats generally feel small because of little or no experience of the job they are performing.

"Every six months and in certain cases even less, I was shifted from one post to the other," he said, adding how could a secretary, howsoever talented, deliver if he is not given a reasonable time to serve against a particular post. Even in a country like Bangladesh, he said, secretaries are given full tenure to serve.

Shahid shares the views of the majority members of the bureaucracy who believe that the Establishment Division, which is responsible for choosing the right person for the right job, has become irrelevant and plays the role of a mere post office.
In the case of BS-21 and BS-22 appointments, the system demands of the Establishment Division to recommend to the prime minister a panel of three most suitable officers against each vacancy. There is a career-planning wing of the Establishment Division, which has the prime responsibility of planning the careers of the officers in a manner that enables the government to benefit from their talent and expertise to the maximum.

However, for decades now, neither the career-planning wing of the Establishment Division is doing its prime job nor is the government making appointments of secretaries and additional secretaries on the basis of Establishment Division's recommended panel.

"In practice, the Establishment Division is simply told by the prime minister's office to notify the appointment of a particular officer against a particular job," an official source said, adding that in cases even the summary to the prime minister on such matters are prepared and sent after the issuance of the notification for appointment!

External interference in bureaucratic affairs have increased to an extent that the Establishment Division could not do the career planning of mid-career officer in BS-19 and BS-20. A Grade 20 officer, presently official on special duty (OSD), confided to this correspondent that although it is the responsibility of the ED to assign him a job, he is asked by the same division to arrange his posting through his own connections.

The officer said, the Establishment Division usually asks the appointment-seeking officials to get "requisition" from the department where they are interested to go. "It's really humiliating that the officers are made to act like beggars to get a job," he observed.

A former secretary establishment, on condition of anonymity, told The News that the Prime Minister's Secretariat has completely overshadowed the Establishment Division. He said the division has completely lost its authority and now it has been rendered so impotent that, at times, its orders are not even honoured by well-connected officers.

The ex-secretary establishment believes that no reform could rectify the situation except the government's resolve to run the Establishment Division as per the prescribed rules and the system. "The ED could act like GHQ's military secretary's branch for the civil bureaucracy provided it is saved from meddling and allowed to exercise it authority," he said.

Generally, it is believed that there would not be any need for considering reforms like creating new streams of specialisation in the bureaucracy if the civil servants' careers are planned by giving them the training they require and posting them against the positions that are commensurate with their expertise and qualification.
Most agree in the bureaucracy that the present situation where the Establishment Division has no role in career planning of the officers, the efficiency of the Federal Secretariat has adversely suffered. It is believed if the officers are given appointments on the basis of their expertise and know-how, the working of the Federal Secretariat would significantly improve.

To present a gist of the sorry state facing the civilian bureaucracy, the profiles of the present federal secretaries are briefly reflected. Career profile of the federal secretaries reveal that except secretary establishment Syed Tariq Ali Bukhari; secretary foreign affairs Riaz Mohammad Khan; secretary law Justice (r) Mansoor Ahmad; and secretary water and power Ashfaq Mehmood, none of the federal secretaries have served before in the respective ministries/divisions they are heading.

Even among these exceptions, only Bukhari and Khan have considerable past experience of their respective divisions. Bukhari had previously served for years as deputy secretary and joint secretary in the Establishment Division before his present appointment as secretary establishment whereas Khan being a Foreign Service officer is supposed to have served in the Foreign Office.

Previously, too, Justice (r) Mansoor Ahmad had served as secretary law when he was a serving High Court judge whereas Ashfaq Mehmood had also served as secretary water and power before during Benazir Bhutto's second term. It is a coincidence that the last moving out of both Ahmad and Mehmood from the divisions they are currently heading, brought embarrassment for them. Ahmad was dragged into the controversy of international court's refusal to accept him as judge though he had denied the same. Mehmood was removed as secretary water and power after the dismissal of Benazir's government. He was investigated but nothing publicly came up against him.

Among others, secretary cabinet Ejaz Rahim even though he never served the Cabinet Division before, is still considered by many as the best choice for the job for being one of the senior most federal secretaries with varied experience of both field and secretariat - provincial as well as federal. However, there are some who believe that Rahim, who also has the experience of dealing with politicians and political matters being chief secretary NWFP, could serve even better as principal secretary to the prime minister.

Prime Minister's principal secretary Javed Sadiq Malik has neither served in the prime minister's office before nor did he ever officiate as chief secretary of a province or secretary to any provincial chief executive - the jobs that have some similarity with his present assignment. Being a confidant of the premier, Malik was picked up from Planning Commission for the present job.

Malik had replaced Shuja Shah, presently, secretary Economic Affairs Division. Shah has never served in the EAD or in any other economic ministry before. Rather, his appointment as principal secretary to prime minister during former prime minister Zafarullah Khan Jamali's tenure was his first exposure to the Federal Secretariat. Shah is now all set to leave to represent Pakistan in World Bank head office in Washington!
Another very important economic ministry - the commerce ministry - is headed by Tasneem Noorani. Noorani's only relevance to the job prior to his appointment as secretary commerce was his posting in a country's foreign mission against a commerce desk. Commerce Ministry is known as the most technical one.
Word out on secretary information technology Khalid Saeed is that he had, perhaps, never operated a computer before his appointment as secretary IT. Saeed was groomed in the commerce ministry as future commerce secretary but his luck took him to the IT division as secretary upon his promotion.

The recently appointed secretary communication Tariq Mehmood is also a new face for the Communication Ministry or any of its sub-ordinate organisation. Brought into the Federal Secretariat for the first time only last year from Punjab, Mehmood has already served three federal divisions as secretary. Mehmood's case serves as an example where secretaries are transferred from one post to the other without being allowed to complete tenure.

Mehmood's last assignment was that of secretary interior, the position, which is currently being held by Syed Kamal Shah. Shah, the former inspector general police Sindh, has never served the Federal Secretariat before his recent arrival as secretary interior. These days, he is diligently learning the ropes at the interior ministry.

Secretary culture, sports and youth affairs Syed Jalil Abbas has also never served before in the division or in any of its subordinate departments. Abbas was additional secretary in charge in the Labour and Overseas Pakistanis Division. Upon his promotion to BS-22 last year, he was moved to Culture Division, which was an altogether new challenge for him.

Secretaries of the Defence and Defence Production Divisions - Lt Gen (r) Tariq Wasim Ghazi and Lt Gen (r) Ali Muhammad Jan Orakzai - are recent arrivals. Being retired soldiers, they are new faces in the Federal Secretariat. The top posts of Defence and Defence Production Divisions belong to civil bureaucracy but for years retired or serving soldiers are being appointed against these civilian slots.
Secretary education Sajid Hassan was also new to the education sector when given this assignment last year. Secretary environment Javed Hasan Aly was also a stranger for the Environment Division and the environmentalists, too, when shifted there from the post of secretary establishment.

Secretary federal tax ombudsman Syed Mohib Asad was first posted in the Federal Secretariat as secretary local government, where he served for few months only before his late last year's arrival in the present office.

However, the twice re-employed secretary finance Nawid Ahsan is getting one extension after the other as if he was indispensable; he, too, had never served in the Finance Ministry before his arrival as secretary finance. The two federal divisions - commerce and EAD - that he headed prior to his arrival in the Finance Ministry were also new experiences for him.

Secretary agriculture Ismail Qureshi arrived in the Federal Secretariat only last year. Agriculture Ministry was a new exposure for him and the only relevance that connects him to the ministry he is heading is his belonging to a Punjab agricultural family.

Anwar Mehmood, the eminent information guru, was also a stranger for the Health Ministry, which he leads today. He was posted as secretary health last November after serving the government as secretary information for over four years. Another information guru Salim Gul Sheikh is heading the Tourism Ministry. Before coming to the Tourism Ministry, he was made to try his luck as secretary privatisation.
Secretary housing Muhammad Jamil was another last year entry into the Federal Secretariat from Punjab. The Housing Ministry was a new test for his talent.

Additional secretary in charge of the Information Ministry, Shahid Rafi, has never served in the ministry before; he had officiated as managing director PTV before. Maj (r) Asif Hayat belongs to the police service but heads Labour and Manpower Ministry. He was previously tested as secretary railways, which was also a new experience for him, but within months, he was transferred to the present post.
Secretary local government Shafqat Ezdi Shah was tested as secretary in quite a few federal divisions like environment, agriculture and education before his present assignment. Every federal division like the present one was a new experience and exposure for him but he never completed his tenure anywhere! Rather, he was one of those federal secretaries who are made OSDs more often than rarely.

Tariq Farooq, who has served as secretary education and secretary health before, landed in the Parliamentary Affairs Division as its secretary following November 2005 reshuffle. Like most of the secretaries, the rationale for his present posting is not known. Secretary petroleum Ahmad Waqar is the known expert on matters dealt by Privatisation Division. Interestingly, he was promoted to BS-22 during Jamali's tenure and instead of being allowed to continue as secretary privatisation, made secretary petroleum, which was an altogether new arena for him.

Secretary Planning Division Muhammad Humayun Farshori was a welcome addition in the Federal Secretariat when posted here more than a year ago from Punjab. However, like most he was not allowed to concentrate in one division. He was transferred twice. His present assignment is though in line with his wide provincial experience including that of planning, in the presence of deputy chairman planning commission he could not work to his full capacity and innovation.

Shahzado Sheikh, a pure audit and accounts man, is testing his luck as secretary population, which has no relevance to his career profile. Same is the situation with another audit and accounts secretary Fazlur Rehman, who is presently heading Port and Shipping Division.

Secretary railways Shakil Durrani was also a stranger for the division he is heading. Durrani has served as chief secretary NWFP and AJK besides officiating as Chief Commission Northern Areas. Those who know Durrani feel the government could draw much more from the officer by assigning him some assignment relevant to his experience. Before becoming secretary railways, he served as secretary population for more than a year.

Secretary religious affairs Vakil Ahmad Khan was a known taxman before he was given the present assignment. It is not known as to what he did better than his predecessors but he earned respect by opting out of the official hajj delegation and preferring to perform hajj at his own expense.

While the taxman is heading Religious Ministry, the privatization-cum-petroleum expert Abdullah Yousaf is heading the Revenue Division and also serves as chairman Central Board of Revenue (CBR). Yousaf had never served in the CBR or in the Revenue Division before his present assignment.

Secretary science and technology Khawaja Zaheer Ahmad is also doing the job, which is irrelevant to his career profile. It is believed that by giving right postings to talented officers like Ahmad, the government could significantly improve the working of the secretariat but it is not done.

Secretary social welfare Dr Shaikh Aleem Mehmood had served for years and years in economic ministries but he, too, ended up in a new division. Secretary states and frontier regions Sajid Hussain Chattha has served for long in the Interior Ministry and the Industries Division but he is made to learn about state and frontier regions of the country.

Additional secretary in charge of the Statistics Division Asad Elahi was also given the present assignment without any experience of the job. Muhammad Tahsin Iqbal is the additional secretary Privatisation Division. Privatisation is a new field for him. He was previously tested for few months as secretary textile, which had little relevance to his experience of working in the Commerce Ministry.

Ghiasuddin Ahmed, the additional secretary in charge of the Minorities Division, had come from Balochistan. Although he never served the division before, his only past experience of the Federal Secretariat was his appointment as joint secretary Establishment Division.

Another additional secretary in charge of the narcotics control Major (r) Mian Zaheer Ahmad, is a police officer who spent most part of his life in the field and was hardly seen in the Federal Secretariat before.

KB Rind, the additional secretary in charge of the overseas Pakistanis, has served in different federal divisions besides important provincial posts including the chief secretary of Sindh during his 30 years of career.

But Overseas Pakistanis Division is a new field for him. Prior to his appointment as the head of Overseas Division last year, he was made to lead the Ports and Shipping Division for a few weeks. His previous division had some relevance to his past experience as he had once headed a port authority.