Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif directed officials to swiftly develop recommendations for a comprehensive performance evaluation system for federal secretaries, signalling a renewed push to reform the country’s civil service framework.
Chairing a high-level meeting on civil service reforms, the prime minister said aligning the bureaucracy with international standards was essential to improve governance and public service delivery. He stressed that a structured mechanism to assess performance across ministries was necessary to strengthen accountability and effectiveness within the administration.
The prime minister underlined the importance of recognising and rewarding high-performing officers, noting that performance-linked incentives, promotions and financial rewards should form part of the reform package. He said such measures were critical to improving efficiency and encouraging better outcomes across the civil service.
He tasked the relevant committee with formulating practical and time-bound recommendations, including proposals for promotions, incentives and other rewards linked to performance evaluations. The committee was also instructed to hold consultations with stakeholders within the civil administration to ensure the reforms are workable and inclusive.
The prime minister said the objective of the reforms was to improve public service delivery and governance, which he described as key to economic stability and social cohesion.
The meeting was attended by Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, Climate Change Minister Musadik Malik, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, Economic Affairs Minister Ahad Cheema, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Haroon Akhtar, along with provincial chief secretaries and senior officials.
The proposed reforms form part of the government’s broader effort to modernise the civil service and strengthen institutional performance across the federal administration.
