The government is soliciting private sector expertise for essential ministries.

The government is undergoing a substantial transformation, actively recruiting dynamic private sector professionals to overhaul essential ministries. It is inviting specialists to assume leadership roles as federal secretaries in economic affairs, finance, and energy, indicating a notable departure from conventional bureaucracy.

The government has released an advertisement over the weekend to recruit seven “dynamic” private sector candidates for the positions of federal secretaries. Nevertheless, the advertisement failed to specify the divisions, qualification criteria, and job descriptions.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has established a ministerial committee, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, to finalize new nominees for the appointment of Grade-22 bureaucrats as executive directors at the World Bank in Washington and the Asian Development Bank in Manila.

The government has solicited applications from “dynamic and seasoned professionals for the positions of Principal Accounting Officers (PAOs), Technical Advisers, and Heads of Organizations in critical economic sectors,” according to the advertisement. A deadline of two weeks is established for the submission of applications.

The advertisement on the Establishment Division website failed to specify the divisions, qualification criteria, and job descriptions. It indicated that the government plans to appoint seven federal secretaries from the private sector to oversee the economy-related ministries.

The entities include the Finance Division, Petroleum Division, Power Division, Planning Division, Industries and Production Division, National Food Security Division, and Vocational Education and Training. The divisions are presently led by officials from the influential Pakistan Administrative Service (PAS).

Imdad Ullah Bosal serves as the finance secretary, Momin Agha as the petroleum secretary, Fakhre Alam Irfan as the power secretary, Awais Manzur Sumra as the planning secretary, Saif Anjum as the industries secretary, and Waseem Ajmal Chaudhry as the national food security secretary.

Upon inquiry, Economic Affairs and Establishment Minister Ahad Khan Cheema stated that no definitive appointments had been established, emphasizing that the government aimed to cultivate a cadre of experts for critical roles, particularly within economic ministries.

The economic ministries of Pakistan are predominantly managed by officers from the Pakistan Administrative Service (PAS), and there has been criticism regarding their lack of requisite experience to comprehend the intricacies of economic issues.

To tackle the governance deficiencies that were ostensibly hindering foreign investment, the military and civilian leadership established the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC). The SIFC was being transformed into a division, akin to any other division.

There exists a perspective that an individual from the private sector, lacking public sector experience, cannot competently lead these ministries. The nature of work necessitates that secretaries occasionally advocate with the prime minister to facilitate decision-making, especially when the pertinent ministers are ineffective.

A further challenge confronting bureaucrats is that their ministers occasionally lack comprehension or the fortitude to make appropriate decisions. The federal secretaries frequently assume the roles of the federal ministers. Occasionally, bureaucrats lack support from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).

The government recently reappointed the education secretary despite his exceptional contributions to public sector education.

Fawad Hasan Fawad, former secretary to the prime minister and former privatisation minister, remarked, “A poor craftsman blames his tools,” in reference to the advertisement for hiring federal secretaries. “This will be ineffective,” he remarked.

Fawad remarked, “Public sector finance is distinct and cannot be managed by individuals who lack comprehension of the constraints inherent to the public sector and the paramount duty of overseeing cash flows in a perpetually deficit economy reliant on subsidies and external assistance.”

One year prior, the government employed the information technology secretary from the private sector. The government has not yet published any performance report regarding the IT sector to assess its success or failure.

The government intends to execute “performance-based contracts” with the chosen individuals for a duration of two years. The advertisement indicated that the chosen candidate’s salary and grade will be established in accordance with governmental regulations and aligned with competitive market rates, inclusive of relevant allowances and benefits for the role.

Candidates are required to possess at least 20 years of pertinent post-qualification experience, and the upper age limit is set at 60 years at the time of appointment, subject to relaxation in exceptional circumstances as per directives from the competent authority, as stated by the Establishment Division.

The Establishment Division website indicates that the government has solicited applications for the position of PAO in the financial sector. The candidate must possess experience in public finance, economic policy, fiscal management, or related fields, along with demonstrated expertise in managing substantial budgets, tax policy, debt management, and knowledge of financial sector regulation.

The candidate must demonstrate a proven capacity to oversee budget formulation, tax reform initiatives, and public expenditure management reforms. The experience requirement explicitly signifies the government’s intention to appoint the finance secretary.

Similarly, for the petroleum sector, the candidate must possess experience in the petroleum, energy, mining, or public administration fields, along with demonstrated knowledge of upstream and/or downstream petroleum operations, regulatory frameworks, mining sector supervision, or energy sector policy development.

The candidate must possess experience in the power sector, energy management, or public administration, along with demonstrated expertise in supervising power generation, transmission, distribution, and regulatory frameworks.

The candidate must possess experience in development planning, public sector reform, infrastructure coordination, economic policy, or large-scale project management within the planning and development sector.

The government seeks candidates with a minimum of 20 years of experience in industrial development, public administration, manufacturing sector management, investment promotion, or economic planning for industry, and experience in agricultural policy, food security, rural development, or public administration for food security.

Selection for Washington

The prime minister established a ministerial committee to evaluate the appropriate and qualified BS-22 officers for nomination to the positions of executive director at the World Bank and executive director at the ADB, as stated in a notification.

The vacancies arose following the appointment of Dr. Tauqir Shah, Pakistan’s executive director at the World Bank, as an adviser to the prime minister, and the expiration of Noor Ahmad’s tenure as the executive director at the ADB last week. Ahmad has been requested to persist until the submission of his application.

Several retired bureaucrats were also candidates, but they have now been eliminated from the selection process. Sources indicate that the leading candidates include Finance Secretary Imdad Ullah Bosal, Economic Affairs Secretary Dr. Kazim Niaz, and Interior Secretary Khurram Agha.

Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar will preside over the ministerial committee, which comprises Economic Affairs and Establishment Minister Ahad Cheema, Climate Change Minister Dr. Musaddiq Malik, and Minister of State for Finance Bilal Kayani.

The committee will evaluate appropriate and qualified officers of BS-22, possessing pertinent work experience and skill set. Qualified officers will possess expertise in policy analysis and decision-making, leadership, collaboration, familiarity with the operations of multilateral financial institutions, exceptional communication and diplomatic skills, and proficiency in social networking.

The committee will submit its nominations for both positions to the prime minister for consideration and approval, as stated in the notification.