ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: To ensure transparency, merit and fairness, Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif has directed for the adoption of policy guidelines over foreign appointments.
These guidelines would be followed in letter and spirit concerning postings in Pakistan Missions and against Pakistan’s positions at international, multilateral and regional organizations and bodies, said contents of an official letter from the office of Secretary to the Prime Minister and circulated by the PM Office Media wing on Saturday.
According to the policy guidelines, the concerned ministry or division in each case would ensure that selection process is completely transparent and absolutely merit-based.
“Such transparency and merit shall be clearly visible from the processes, procedures and practices that are adopted for selection,” it said.
The tenure fixed for each foreign post should be strictly followed and would not be extendable.
“An officer of identified services, cadres and occupational groups for any foreign post, will be eligible for two tenures of foreign posting in his entire service, provided that there shall be an intervening period of at least three years between two such tenures,” it said.
The policy guideline clearly state that no relaxation or exception to these policy guidelines should be granted without the prior approval of the Prime Minister for which the concerned ministry shall provide detailed justifications in a summary.
“Failure to initiate and complete the process of selection of new officers, prior to completion of tenures of incumbents, shall be a personal responsibility of the concerned Secretary,” it added.
All foreign posts that are vacant and available or are likely to become vacant and available within one year of the date of circulation of such vacancy, will be circulated amongst the officers of the identified services, cadres and occupational groups, clearly specifying eligibility criteria in terms of educational qualifications, experience, age and so forth.
The services, cadres and occupational groups, eligible for selection against each foreign post, against which foreign posting is made, will be clearly defined and identified by the concerned ministry or division, keeping in view the job description and responsibility of each foreign post.
“There shall be a precondition of passing a written qualifying test, but the test shall be organized by the concerned Ministry through the Lahore University of Management Sciences, Lahore or the Institute of Business Administration, Karachi,” said the policy guidelines.
The minimum qualifying score in the written test will be set at 60 per cent. The candidates qualifying the test will be called for an interview which would be conducted by a committee to be constituted with the approval of the Prime Minister.
“Eighty percent weightage will be given to the written test scores and twenty percent weightage to the interview scores,” it added.
No minimum passing marks shall be fixed for the interview and no candidates would be deemed to have failed in the selection process merely on the basis of his or her performance in the interview.
“Successful candidates shall be given, in order of their merit, comprising of summation of scores in written test and interview, the option to choose the station of their choice from amongst circulated stations.”
Source: APP
