Secretariat positions limited to 400% of the assembly’s membership; current staff must comply within 18 months
National Assembly. Photo: File
The National Assembly has approved the NA Secretariat Staff (Amendment) Bill 2025, which imposes strict restrictions on staff, regulates recruitment and formalizes employment procedures to prevent political interference.
Under the new law, the total number of posts in the secretariat, both permanent and temporary, cannot exceed 400 percent of the assembly’s membership, and existing staff must be brought within this limit within 18 months of execution. The changes require Finance Committee approval for the creation of new positions, upgrades or termination of any position, and all new positions must be officially gazetted.
Recruitment rules have been revised to ensure merit-based hiring: positions in grade 15 and below will be filled on the recommendation of the department’s selection committee and through open advertisements, while positions in grade 16 and above will follow the recommendations of the Federal Public Service Commission. If the FPSC fails to advertise within six months, departmental elections may be used. The federal quota system will continue to apply to all appointments.
Appointments of deputies are also redefined with a maximum term of office of five years and no possibility of permanent admission to the secretariat. Officers on the deputy in pay grade 20 and below will receive a supplement based on their parent department’s last pay certificate.
The Bill introduces significant legal and structural changes: Secretariat staff are now formally designated as “National Assembly Secretariat staff”, references to the “Ministry” or “Department” are replaced with “National Assembly Secretariat”, and “President” or “Prime Minister” references are replaced with “Chairman”. The position of “Secretary” is legally defined as “Secretary of the National Assembly’s Secretariat.”
Several sections of the 2018 Act, including sections 8, 9, 10, 12-24, 26, 28 and 29, are proposed to be repealed. A new section 31 ensures that this Act takes precedence over any conflicting legislation. Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq emphasized that the reforms aim to reduce unnecessary posts, increase administrative efficiency and ensure transparency and accountability in the staff of the National Assembly Secretariat.
