The paradox of the Superior Services
Opinion
May 25, 2021
It is that time of the year when around two hundred ambitious young men and women, as well as their families, celebrate their success in the Central Superior Services – CSS examination.
There is a palpable sense of joy and self-fulfillment among the successful candidates and a wave of dejection in others who could not reach the finishing line. In a country where patwaris (land department officials) and similarly ranked officials in police, customs, taxation etc are mostly chosen on the basis of sifarish or bribes, CSS offers a path to join coveted services on the basis of one s academic qualifications and hard work, through a nationwide competitive examination.
Foreign service bureaucrats to be judged on output, delivery
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The building of Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Islamabad.
ISLAMABAD: To improve the disappointing performance of Pakistani missions abroad, the government’s new performance management system will also apply to the Foreign Service of Pakistan and those officers who are serving in the country’s embassies in foreign capitals.
According to an aide to Prime Minister Imran Khan, the cabinet has already approved the new performance management system that will also be applied to officers serving in the country’s missions abroad.
The aim is to improve their output and ensure that diplomats serve the Pakistani diaspora, besides bringing business and investment into the country. Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday asked the country’s ambassadors serving abroad to forego colonial-era attitudes and treat overseas Pakistanis with compassion, saying the current indifferent attitude towards overseas Pakistanis wa
Foreign service baboos to be judged on output, delivery
Top Story
May 8, 2021
ISLAMABAD: To improve the disappointing performance of Pakistani missions abroad, the government’s new performance management system will also apply to the Foreign Service of Pakistan and those officers who are serving in the country’s embassies in foreign capitals.
According to an aide to Prime Minister Imran Khan, the cabinet has already approved the new performance management system that will also be applied to officers serving in the country’s missions abroad. The aim is to improve their output and ensure that diplomats serve the Pakistani diaspora, besides bringing business and investment into the country.
updated: May 07 2021, 14:12 ist
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has come under criticism for accusing the country s foreign service officers of harbouring colonial mindset and callousness while appreciating their Indian counterparts.
Addressing the envoys virtually on Wednesday, Khan showed anger at what he called “shocking callousness” of Pakistani diplomats abroad towards fellow Pakistanis. He also accused them of having a colonial mindset in their dealing with Pakistani nationals.
Khan said: “Indian embassies are more proactive in bringing investments” to their country and they also provide “better services to their citizens”.
At least three former foreign secretaries of Pakistan took strong exception to Khan s remarks.
Foreign Office in disarray Hassan Khan
If the ignominious suspension of the former ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Raja Ali Ejaz, and recalling of half a dozen other diplomats sent shockwaves through the Foreign Service of Pakistan (FSP) cadre – Prime Minister Imran Khan’s lambasting of ambassadors in full media glare over allegations of a ‘callous and uncaring attitude’ towards their compatriots abroad was cataclysmic. Singled out in particular were diplomatic missions based in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, the UK and Qatar. In a surprise move, the PM also blamed the diplomatic establishment on its lackadaisical approach to the government’s economic agenda by failing to support the inflow of foreign direct investment (FDI) and enhancement of trade.