We have used English as a language of discrimination against common citizen & majority of the population: Ahsan Iqbal

ISLAMABAD, April 04 (SABAH): Federal Minister Ahsan Iqbal chaired the Civil Services Reform Committee meeting, established by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, to deliberate on a comprehensive restructuring plan aimed at transforming Pakistan’s bureaucracy to meet contemporary challenges. The meeting was attended by the senior officials from various key ministries, including the Ministry of Planning, the Economic Affairs Division (EAD), and representatives from the Cabinet Secretariat. During the discussions, the committee endorsed the introduction of a cluster-based system for restructuring, emphasizing the importance of addressing the challenges associated with inducting professionals in the public sector.

Minister Iqbal noted that the skill sets of many public sector officials are often misaligned with the demands of their roles in wake of changing times, stressing the need to adopt best practices from the corporate sector to bridge this gap and enhance efficiency within government institutions. Ahsan Iqbal pointed out the severe shortage of technical professionals across various Ministries, emphasizing that it is critical to address this deficit to ensure that public sector organizations are equipped with the necessary expertise. He further stressed the urgent need to expand occupational groups in technical fields, including engineering and information technology, to ensure a professional base in civil service for technical challenges.

Ahsan Iqbal emphasised that the logic of using English as a compulsory subject for entry into civil service should be reexamined as many talented students are rejected due to failing in English language paper. He said if English were the defining criteria then our civil service should have been the best performing civil service in the world. We have used English as a language of discrimination against common citizen and majority of the population. He proposed that Urdu language should also be offered as a choice for compulsory subject for the Central Superior Services (CSS) exam. This will promote inclusivity and national ethos and elevate Urdu as the national language.

Ahsan Iqbal concluded the meeting by saying that we need to rethink civil service model established in 1973 in light of the new realities by breaking the barriers of self preservation in the system as the environment and realities have totally changed. Citizens are much more informed and empowered as a result they expect much higher levels of service delivery. We need a civil service which is agile, proactive, performance focused and responsive to new realities.