Federal Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal has called for civil servants to be promoted according to their performance and ability to deliver results instead of relying mainly on years of service.

He made the remarks during a multi-party consultation on civil service reforms, where he presented a proposed framework containing 46 recommendations. According to Iqbal, there is broad agreement on 43 of the proposals.

The proposed reforms seek to replace the traditional generalist approach with a more specialized and merit-based civil service.

Under the framework, professional cadres could be developed for sectors including health, education, finance, IT, agriculture, engineering and commerce, allowing officers to work in areas linked to their qualifications and expertise.

Iqbal said the existing system can result in officers being assigned to occupational groups without considering their academic background or professional experience.

The reform package also proposes performance indicators and outcome-based evaluations to measure officers against defined targets and link career progression with their actual performance.

The minister also called for changes to the recruitment process, arguing that excessive focus on advanced English skills can prevent talented candidates from less privileged educational backgrounds from entering the civil service.

The framework further emphasizes digital skills, with civil servants expected to use artificial intelligence, data systems and other digital tools to improve government work.

The consultation was attended by political leaders, policymakers, former ministers and sector experts as the government seeks wider support for the proposed changes.

Iqbal said the reforms should continue beyond the tenure of any single government and become part of a long-term effort to strengthen the state’s administrative capacity.

The proposed changes are intended to create a more professional, accountable and technology-enabled civil service focused on delivering measurable results.