The Pakistan Administrative Service, or PAS ( ur, ) (previously known as the District Management Group or DMG before 1 June 2012) is an elite cadre of the

Civil Services of Pakistan The Central Superior Services (CSS; or Civil Service) is a permanent elite civil service authority, and the civil service that is responsible for running the bureaucratic operations and government secretariats and directorates of the Cabinet of ...

. The Pakistan Administrative Service over the years has emerged as the most consolidated and developed post-colonial institution in Pakistan, with the PAS officers of

Grade 22 Grade 22 (also referred to as BPS-Apex) is the highest attainable rank for a Civil Servant in Pakistan. Grade 22 is equal to a 4-star rank of the Pakistan Armed Forces. With over five hundred thousand civil servants and bureaucrats in Pakistan, onl ...

often seen as stronger than the federal government ministers. The service of PAS is generalist in nature and officers are assigned to different departments all across Pakistan during the course of their careers. Almost all of the country's highest-profile positions such as the Federal Secretaries, the provincial Chief Secretaries, and chairmen of top-heavy organizations like the

National Highway Authority The National Highway Authority (NHA; ur, ) is a statutory body under the Ministry of Communications (MoCom) of Pakistan. History In 1978, the Government of Pakistan federalised five important inter-provincial roads and named them ''National ...

Trading Corporation of Pakistan The Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) ( ur, ) is a Pakistani state-owned commodity trading company, mainly responsible for export and import of commodities. It also issues tenders for export and import of agricultural products. TCP has its of ...

and State Life Insurance Corporation usually belong to the Pakistan Administrative Service. Pakistani Flag

Officers in this occupational group are recruited through a national competitive examination held once a year by the Federal Public Service Commission. Those selected for this group have to undergo a two-year training programme at the

Civil Services Academy Situated in Lahore, Pakistan, the Civil Services Academy Lahore is an academy for training the young bureaucrats of the country who are commissioned by the Federal public service commission through a very competitive and tough exam known as Cen ...

(CSA) in

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second List of cities in Pakistan by population, most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th List of largest cities, most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is th ...

Notable PAS officers

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 ...

Chaudhry Muhammad Ali Chaudhry Muhammad Ali ( Urdu, pa, ; 15 July 1905 – 2 December 1982), best known as Muhammad Ali, was a Pakistani politician and statesman who served as the fourth prime minister of Pakistan, appointed on 12 August 1955. His government tran ...

Farooq Leghari Farooq Ahmad Khan Leghari ( ur, ; 29 May 194020 October 2010), was a Pakistani politician who served as the eighth president of Pakistan from 14 November 1993 until resigning on 2 December 1997. He is the first Baloch to have been elected a ...

* Qudrat Ullah Shahab * Shehzad Arbab *

Raja Muhammad Abbas Raja Muhammad Abbas (born 20 December 1953) is a retired Pakistani civil servant who served in BPS-22 grade as the Federal Secretary Ministry of Interior, Board of Investment, & Ministry of Housing & Works. Interior Secretary of Pakistan and C ...

* Kamran Rasool * Nargis Sethi *

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

Syed Darbar Ali Shah Syed Darbar Ali Shah (21 July 1923 – 20 June 1996) was a Pakistani civil servant who served as a Central Superior Services officer. He held many important administrative positions, including that of Commissioner Karachi during the 1965 War bet ...

* Mutawakil Kazi * Shahid Aziz Siddiqi * Maroof Afzal * Rizwan Ahmed *

Naveed Kamran Baloch Naveed Kamran Baloch is a retired Pakistani civil servant who served in BPS-22 grade as the Cabinet Secretary and Finance Secretary of Pakistan. Baloch belonged to the Pakistan Administrative Service and was promoted to the rank of Federal Se ...

* Sardar Ahmad Nawaz Sukhera *

Azam Suleman Khan Maj (r) Azam Suleman Khan ( ur, میجر (ر) اعظم سلیمان خان ) is a retired Pakistani civil servant who serves as the Ombudsman of Punjab. He previously served in BPS-22 grade as the Interior Secretary of Pakistan, Chief Secreta ...

* Kamran Lashari * Mir Ahmed Bakhsh Lehri * Shoaib Mir Memon *

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 ...

* Allah Bakhsh Malik * Iqbal Hussain Durrani *

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 ...

* Syed Abu Ahmad Akif *

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 ...

* Tariq Bajwa *

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 ...

* Muhammad Sualeh Ahmad Faruqi *

Sikandar Sultan Raja Sikandar Sultan Raja is a retired Pakistani civil servant who serves as the Chief Election Commissioner of Pakistan, in office since January 2020. He belongs to the Pakistan Administrative Service and is batchmates with Rizwan Ahmed, Hussain Asg ...

* Fazal Abbas Maken * Agha Jan Akhtar * Masood Khaddarposh *

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 ...

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 ...

* Ishrat Hussain * Masood Mufti *

Mustafa Zaidi Mustafa Zaidi (born Syed Mustafa Hasnain Zaidi; 10 October 1930 – 2 October 1970) was a Pakistani Urdu poet and a civil servant. Early life In 1954, he passed the competitive examination and was sent to England for training before being g ...

Mumtaz Mufti Mumtaz Husain, better known as Mumtaz Mufti ( ur, ; September 11, 1905 – October 27, 1995), was a writer from Pakistan.Aminullah chaudhry *

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 ...

Shafqat Mahmood Shafqat Mahmood (Punjabi, ; 19 February 1950) is a Pakistani bureaucrat-turned-politician who served as thFederal Minister for Federal Education and Professional Training and Federal Minister for National History and Literary Heritage, from 20 ...

Orya Maqbool Jan Orya Maqbool Jan () is a Pakistani columnist A columnist is a person who writes for publication in a series, creating an article that usually offers commentary and opinions. Columns appear in newspapers, magazines and other publications, inc ...

* Rabiya Javeri Agha * Hamza Shafqaat

History

The

Indian Civil Service The Indian Civil Service (ICS), officially known as the Imperial Civil Service, was the higher civil service of the British Empire in India during British rule in the period between 1858 and 1947. Its members ruled over more than 300 million p ...

(ICS)—also known once as Imperial Civil Service in

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

, predecessor of the Civil Service of Pakistan and District Management Group—was established by the British to colonize India and perpetuate the

British Raj The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent; * * it is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or Direct rule in India, * Quote: "Mill, who was him ...

. After Indian independence in 1947, the Indian Civil Service component ceded to Pakistan was renamed the Civil Service of Pakistan. In 1954, an agreement was reached between the Governor General of Pakistan and the governors of the provinces to constitute an All-Pakistan service valid throughout Pakistan. Later under the administrative reforms of 1973, the name of Civil Service of Pakistan was changed to District Management Group, which became one of thirteen occupational groups under the All-Pakistan Unified Groups (APUG). Since 1973, each year a new batch of officers undergo a "Common Training Programme" (CTP) which includes officers of thirteen occupational groups at the

Appointments of PAS Officers

After completing initial training and probation at the Civil Services Academy, officers are posted in field offices throughout Pakistan on Basic Pay Scale (BPS)-17 grade appointments. Officers of the rank of Captains (within 3 to 6 years' service) and equivalents from

defense services Defense or defence may refer to: Tactical, martial, and political acts or groups * Defense (military), forces primarily intended for warfare * Civil defense, the organizing of civilians to deal with emergencies or enemy attacks * Defense industr ...

are also inducted (in three occupational groups; P.A.S, Police and Foreign Services) on allocated quota after recommendations of Chairman Federal Public Service Commission. This quota was introduced by President General Zia ul Haq through an infamous amendment to the law primarily to have domination of military over civil bureaucracy and is still in vogue. Officers of PAS are first appointed typically as Assistant Commissioners of sub-divisions. They will simultaneously be charged with the responsibilities of Assistant Commissioners of Sub-Divisional level. The Basic Pay Scales (BPS grades) are enumerated (in order of increasing responsibility) such as:

Post-devolution (2001) scenario

Post devolution, local government ordinance PLGO 2001. The Divisional Governments/Administrative Divisions were abolished by the then President Pervaiz Musharraf in 2001 and hence the office of Divisional Commissioner was abolished. The Office of Deputy Commissioner was upgraded/up scaled and designated as District Coordination Officer DCO and was deprived of the powers of District Magistrate. However, in 2008, after the presidency of General Musharraf, provincial governments of Pakistan again established the office of Divisional Commissioner. In 2011 and 2017, the term DCO was also re named as Deputy Commissioner in Sindh and Punjab provinces respectively and District Magistracy continues to be exercised in the federal capital; however, the institution of the office of the Deputy Commissioner has been deprived of its previously held judicial powers elsewhere in the country.

References

External links