Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday said the government is firmly committed to undertaking structural reforms of bureaucracy to make it efficient and responsive to the need of the hour.

Chairing a meeting of Task Force on Civil Service Reforms in Islamabad, the premier said he regretted that bureaucracy was heavily politicized during the past ten years which resulted in its inefficiency and created fear amongst the bureaucrats.

“Bureaucracy will be depoliticized and insulated from all kinds of political pressures,” he said. “During the 60s and 1970s, Pakistan’s civil service was one of the best in the region and countries from the region would come to us and learn from us.” 

“Unfortunately political interference has destroyed the civil service,” the prime minister added.

He added, accountability and merit are the only way the system can be made better and it is the government’s mission to depoliticize the bureaucracy.  

Furthermore, the prime minister said the existing system of the government cannot compete with the private sector where merit determines positions and seniority. “No system can sustain or deliver if accountability and merit are missing. We need to restructure and reform our bureaucracy to make it progressive and innovative."

He stressed there is dire need to promote professionalism in every sphere.

“We are committed to protecting the integrity and security of tenure of bureaucrats so that they could devote their energies towards translating political vision into reality. We have to attract the best minds to serve the country,” the prime minister added.