Pakistan faces numerous challenges that trace back to one fundamental issue: the consistent underperformance of its bureaucratic system. While many blame individual bureaucrats, the real problem lies deeper within the system itself.
The Selection Paradox: Choosing the Best and Brightest
Pakistan's Central Superior Services (CSS) examination represents one of the world's most competitive selection processes. In 2024, approximately 15,000 candidates competed for only 229 positions, resulting in a mere 2.5% pass rate. This rigorous, multi-stage filtering process ensures that only the most capable individuals enter the civil service.
The comprehensive selection includes an initial screening test followed by twelve written papers covering diverse subjects from English essay writing to political science and law. Those who succeed demonstrate exceptional merit and intellectual capability, proving that the problem doesn't originate with the people selected.
The Training Gap: Generalists in Specialized Roles
After selection, successful candidates undergo a six-month Common Training Programme (CTP) covering general subjects like law, economics, and office management. This is followed by six to twelve months of service-specific training. The entire preparation lasts approximately eighteen months before these officers assume significant responsibilities.
This brief, generalized education contrasts sharply with professional fields like engineering, medicine, or finance, where specialists spend years developing expertise. The system then compounds this problem through constant rotations - an agriculture ministry officer might transfer to petroleum, then finance, then science, with expectations of immediate mastery in each new domain.
The Colonial Legacy and Modern Realities
Pakistan inherited its civil service structure from British colonial administration, designed for generalists managing a simpler governance landscape. German philosopher Max Weber identified "specialized expertise" as a key advantage of effective bureaucracy, yet Pakistan's system fails to develop this crucial element.
The consequence is evident when Pakistani officers negotiate with international experts from the IMF, World Bank, or global investment firms. Without equivalent specialized knowledge and experience, they cannot effectively represent national interests.
The Solution: Career-Long Specialization
A straightforward reform could transform this system: mandating that officers remain in their assigned ministries throughout their careers. If an officer joins the finance ministry, they should develop expertise in global finance through continuous training and experience until retirement.
This approach would allow bureaucrats to accumulate deep sector-specific knowledge, enabling them to negotiate as equals with international experts and make informed decisions based on specialized understanding. The same principle applies across all ministries - from agriculture to energy to education.
As the writer, Chairman of Mustaqbil Pakistan and Harvard Business School MBA graduate, emphasizes: sometimes the simplest solutions yield the most significant outcomes. By embracing specialization rather than clinging to outdated generalist traditions, Pakistan can build a bureaucracy capable of meeting contemporary challenges.
