National News

ISLAMABAD, (APP): 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.”