The Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC) has set new standards for promotions, as it deemed directly qualified for the post of assistant director (BS-17) all regular employees working in the FPSC in BS-1 to BS-16 with 8 years of service. According to a notification published in the Gazette of Pakistan on January 25, 2011, which laid down the method, qualification and other conditions for promotion in the FPSC, all regular employees working in the FPSC in BS-1 to BS-16 with 8 years of service could directly apply for the post of assistant director and must pass the promotional examination to be conducted by the National Testing Service.
Interestingly, the criterion for the post of deputy assistant director and superintendent (records) (BS-16) is far stricter than the assistant director position. According to the notification, only an assistant in-charge can apply for the post of deputy assistant director, to be filled through departmental promotion. A source in the FPSC told Pakistan Today on condition of anonymity on Sunday that making BS-1 employees directly eligible for the post of assistant director spoke of volumes for the low standards set by the commission.
“How can someone who served as a staff driver or naib qasid in BS-1 for 8 years take the challenge of an assistant director position?” he asked. He said something was fishy in the criteria, adding that the rules seemed to be person-specific.