Grade 22 (also referred to as BPS-Apex) is the highest attainable rank for a

Civil Servant The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil servants hired on professional merit rather than appointed or elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leaders ...

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

. Grade 22 is equal to a 4-star rank of the

Pakistan Armed Forces The Pakistan Armed Forces (; ) are the military forces of Pakistan. It is the world's sixth-largest military measured by active military personnel and consist of three formally uniformed services—the Army, Navy, and the Air Force, which are ...

. With over five hundred thousand civil servants and bureaucrats in Pakistan, only a few dozen officers serve in BPS-22 grade at a given time. Hence, not even 0.008% of the country's civil servants and/or bureaucrats make it to the highest rank. Officers serving in BPS-22 grade are largely considered to be the most influential individuals in the country. Pak Secretariat buildings,Islamabad by Usman Ghani

Pak Secretariat buildings,Islamabad by Usman Ghani

Each officer who reaches Grade-22 has, on average, a civil service career spanning over 30 years to 32 years. Elevation to Grade-22 is decided by the High Powered Selection Board (HPSB), which is chaired by the

Prime Minister of Pakistan The prime minister of Pakistan ( ur, , romanized: Wazīr ē Aʿẓam , ) is the head of government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Executive authority is vested in the prime minister and his chosen cabinet, despite the president of Pak ...

. Other ex-officio members of the Board, who advise the PM on promotions, are the

Establishment Secretary of Pakistan The Establishment Secretary of Pakistan is the Federal Secretary for the Establishment Division and is in charge of the transfers, postings as well as promotions in the country's civil service. The position holder is a BPS-22 Officer, usually be ...

, the

Cabinet Secretary of Pakistan The cabinet secretary of Pakistan (Urdu: ) is the federal secretary to the Cabinet of Pakistan. The Cabinet secretary serves as the administrative head of the Cabinet Division, providing policy advice to the prime minister and Cabinet. Usually ...

and the

Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister of Pakistan The Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister of Pakistan (also referred to as PSPM or PM's Chief of Staff) is the administrative head and highest-ranking official of the Prime Minister's Office. The position holder is usually an officer belongi ...

.{{cite news, url=https://www.tribune.com.pk/story/777192/postings-and-transfers-10-promoted-to-grade-22-another-14-reshuffled/?amp=1, title=Postings and transfers: 10 promoted to grade-22, another 14 reshuffled , newspaper=

The Express Tribune ''The Express Tribune'' is a daily English-language newspaper based in Pakistan. It is the flagship publication of the '' Daily Express'' media group. It is Pakistan's only internationally affiliated newspaper in a partnership with the ''Intern ...

, access-date=14 July 2018 The following key positions in the country are occupied by Grade-22 Officials: * Secretary to the Government of Pakistan * Chief Secretary to a Provincial Government *Director General/ Chairman of a large state-owned corporation or agency such as the Federal Board of Revenue,

Federal Investigation Agency The Federal Investigation Agency ( ur, ; reporting name: FIA) is a border control, criminal investigation, counter-intelligence and security agency under the control of the Interior Secretary of Pakistan, tasked with investigative jurisdi ...

, Intelligence Bureau, etc. *

Inspector General of Police An Inspector General of Police is a senior police officer in the police force or police service of several nations. The rank usually refers to the head of a large regional command within a police service, and in many countries refers to the most se ...

*Special Secretary to the Government of Pakistan

Prominent Grade 22 officers (serving and retired)

*Sahibzada Riaz Noor *

Roedad Khan Roedad Khan ( Urdu: روئیداد خان; born 28 September 1923) is a Pakistani politician and former civil servant. He was a leading figure in Pakistan from the start to the end of the Cold War. During his long career, Khan was one of the mo ...

Usman Ali Isani Usman Ali Isani is a former senior Pakistani bureaucrat, educationist and a philatelist. He was born in 1934 in his village Bado of Shikarpur District. He is alumnus of Prince of Wales Royal Military College Dheradhoon. Later, after the Indo-Pak ...

*Murlidhar Gangwani * Shehzad Arbab *

Nasir Mahmood Khosa Nasir Mahmood Khosa is a retired Pakistani civil servant from Dera Ghazi Khan who belonged to the Pakistan Administrative Service and served in BPS-22 grade, the highest attainable rank for a serving officer. He was promoted to the rank of Fede ...

* Tariq Bajwa * Rizwan Ahmed *

Babar Yaqoob Fateh Muhammad Babar Yaqoob Fateh Muhammad is a retired Pakistani civil servant who serves as chairman of the Federal Land Commission of Pakistan (with status of a Federal Minister), in office since April 2020. Previously, he served in BPS-22 grade as the Cabi ...

* Maroof Afzal * Azam Suleman Khan * Shoaib Mir Memon * Mir Ahmed Bakhsh Lehri * Sardar Ahmad Nawaz Sukhera * Muhammad Sualeh Ahmad Faruqi * Sajjad Saleem Hotiana * Raja Muhammad Abbas * Arshad Sami Khan * Allah Bakhsh Malik * Kamran Rasool *

Jawad Rafique Malik Jawad Rafique Malik (Urdu: جواد رفیق ملک) is a Pakistani civil servant who serves in BPS-22 grade as Industries Secretary of Pakistan. Hailing from Lahore, Malik belongs to the Pakistan Administrative Service and is batchmates with ...

* Syed Abu Ahmad Akif * Sikandar Sultan Raja *

Tasneem Noorani Tasneem Noorani is a retired Pakistani civil servant who has served in BPS-22 grade as the Interior Secretary and Commerce Secretary of Pakistan. Education Tasneem attended Pakistan Air Force School Sargodha for high school from 1956 to 1 ...

Shahjehan Syed Karim Shahjehan Syed Karim was a Pakistani civil servant and educator who served in BPS-22 grade as the Information Secretary of Pakistan and Chief Secretary Sindh. He is best known as founder of Institute of Business Management The Institute of ...

* Iqbal Hussain Durrani *

Hussain Asghar Hussain Asghar is a retired Pakistani police officer who serves as Deputy Chairman National Accountability Bureau, appointed and took charge in April 2019. Asghar is member of the 15th CTP and is batchmates with Sikandar Sultan Raja, Rizwan ...

* Allah Dino Khawaja *

Fawad Hasan Fawad Fawad Hasan Fawad ( ur, ) (born 14 January 1960) is a retired Pakistani civil servant who served in BPS-22 grade as the Principal Secretary to two Prime Ministers, Nawaz Sharif and Shahid Khaqan Abbasi. Fawad belongs to the Pakistan Adminis ...

* Kamran Lashari * Qudrat Ullah Shahab *

Mumtaz Ali Shah Mumtaz Ali Shah is a retired Pakistani civil servant who served in BPS-22 grade as the Maritime Secretary of Pakistan and Chief Secretary Sindh. Hailing from Sindh, Shah joined the Pakistan Administrative Service after passing the Central Supe ...

Ghulam Ishaq Khan Ghulam Ishaq Khan ( ur, غلام اسحاق خان; 20 January 1915 – 27 October 2006), was a Pakistani bureaucrat who served as the seventh president of Pakistan, elected in 1988 following Zia's death until his resignation in 1993. He wa ...

* Jalil Abbas Jilani * Rabiya Javeri Agha * Syed Hassan Raza *

Aftab Ghulam Nabi Kazi Aftab Ghulam Nabi Kazi ( ur, آفتاب غلام نبی قاضی; 6 November 1919 – 9 August 2016) , also known as AGN Kazi, was a Pakistani civil servant and a bureaucrat during the Cold War and during the post cold war. Kazi was born in S ...

* Iftikharuddin khattak * Sohail Mahmood * Abdul Basit (diplomat) *

Riaz Mohammad Khan Riaz Mohammad Khan holds a master's degree in mathematics and a B.A. (honors) from Punjab University, Lahore. Prior to joining Pakistan's Foreign Service in 1969, Khan taught quantum physics from 1965 to 1969 as assistant professor in the Mathem ...

* Javid Husain * Inam-ul-Haq (diplomat) * Shamshad Ahmad *

Riaz Khokhar Riaz Hussain Khokhar ( ur, ریاض کھو کھر) (born 31 December 1942)Masood Khan *

Najmuddin Shaikh Najmuddin Shaikh ( ur, نجم الدین شیخ) (born 4 September 1939) served as the Pakistani ambassador to United States (1990–1991) and later served as Foreign Secretary of Pakistan (1994 - 1997). Education and family He received his ba ...

* Tanvir Ahmad Khan * Jameel Ahmad Bhutto * Humayun Khan (diplomat) * Niaz Naik *

Abdul Sattar (diplomat) Abdul Sattar (1931 – 23 June 2019) ( ; ur, عبد الستار), was a Pakistani political scientist, career foreign service officer, diplomat, author of foreign policy, and nuclear strategist. Prior to being appointed Foreign minister o ...

* Agha Shahi *

Jalaludin Abdur Rahim Jalaluddin Abdur Rahim ( Urdu: جلال الدين عبدالرحيم; Bengali: জালালুদ্দিন আবদুর রহিম; also known as J. A. Rahim) (27 July 1906 – 1977) was a Bengali communist and political philosopher ...

* Nasir Durrani * Nargis Sethi *

Tehmina Janjua Tehmina Janjua ( ur, تہمینہ جنجوعہ) is a retired Pakistani career diplomat who served in BPS-22 grade (highest attainable rank for a serving officer) as the 29th Foreign Secretary of Pakistan. Among her other notable appointments, ...

* Fazal-ur-Rehman *

Salman Bashir Salman Bashir ( ur, سلمان بشیر ) (born 4 March 1952) is a Pakistani diplomat who served as the Foreign Secretary of Pakistan and as the High Commissioner of Pakistan to India. Government of Pakistan