The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly on Friday passed the Provincial Public Service Commission (Amendment) Bill, 2011, that fixes the tenure of the commission members to three years instead of five and sets the maximum age limit at 65 years. The amendment bill was moved by the Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs Arshad Abdullah and was passed by the provincial assembly after thorough discussion. The speaker also came down harsh on Health Minister Zahir Shah for his absence from proceedings, and asked him to ensure his presence in the assembly. Per details, the assembly session was presided over by the acting Speaker Khushedel Khan.
The 2011 amendment bill of Public Service Commission (PSC) that was passed by the assembly authorises the PSC to make appointments from grade 11 to grade 15 in all administrative departments. Pakistan People’s Party parliamentary leader Abdul Akbar Khan, ANP’s Saqibullah Khan Chamkani, PML-Q’s Qalandar Lodhi, PPP’s Shazia Tehmas, and Alamgir Khalil moved amendments and supported the government’s proposals suggesting the new legislation should not be applicable to sitting members. However, after the explanation by Arshad Abdullah, the said members withdrew their proposals. Before the passage of the amendment bill, there was no age limit on appointment of PSC officers.
After the bill’s passage, the law minister said appointments of new members would be made within 10 days after the retirement of commission members for which search committee was working.
“To end the political pressure on appointments, government has decided to authorise the PSC to appoint officials from grade 11 to grade 15,” he said. He said the government had already constituted a search committee, which would work on the appointment of new members, as the government knew 10 members in commission would retire after the passage of the bill. Abdullah said the recommendation for all 10 new members had been finalised and now the government would notify the names of new members within 10 days.