ISLAMABAD:
A Senate panel on Monday expressed concern over delays in the Federal Public Service Commission’s (FPSC) general recruitment process, which currently takes at least two years, and directed the Commission to speed up its implementation.
The meeting of the Senate Committee on Delegated Legislation was chaired by Senator Naseema Ehsan.
The panel reviewed the rules for CSS and general recruitment examinations and examined the rules under the National Archives Act, 1993, and the Archival Material (Preservation and Export Control) Act, 1975.
The committee was briefed on reforms in the civil servants’ evaluation system and recruitment through the CSS examination.
Members expressed concern over delays in FPSC’s general recruitment process, which currently takes at least two years.
The FPSC secretary informed the committee that computer based tests (CBT) and MCQ based papers are being introduced to reduce the duration to one year. The Chairman directed the FPSC to expedite the implementation.
The committee reiterated its earlier recommendation to increase the upper age limit and the number of attempts for the CSS exam, arguing that this would benefit candidates from remote and underdeveloped areas, especially Balochistan.
But officials from the establishment department and FPSC maintained that such changes were not feasible due to service-related concerns.
Members also raised the issue of women-friendly workplace policies, with the chairman directing the authorities to ensure measures such as secondments that support family stability.
The FPSC informed the committee that the CSS syllabus is under review and will be refined, while issues related to outdated terminology in FPSC rules and minority representation were flagged for detailed briefing at the next meeting.
The committee also reviewed draft rules for the National Archives and expressed concern over the lack of coordination between federal and provincial archives, particularly regarding ancient documents from archaeological sites such as Mehrgarh and Neri Kalat.
The chairman highlighted the absence of a clear digitization framework and instructed the relevant authorities to present a comprehensive briefing at the next meeting on the preservation of archaeological archives and a digitization plan for the National Archives.
Earlier this month, a Senate panel urged the FPSC to allow CSS candidates two examination attempts a year and raise the upper age limit to 35 years.
The recommendation came during a meeting of the sub-committee of the Senate Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat, held in the chambers of Parliament under the chairmanship of Senator Saleem Mandviwala.
