Most bureaucrats screened out by LUMS test: report

Most bureaucrats have failed the screening process of the examination conducted by the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) for postings at trade missions abroad, a report in the local media said on Sunday.
The results’ announcement revealed that only 62 candidates, out of a total of 264, cleared the screening test that is held as a precursor to narrow down the prospective applications ahead of the written and interview part of the process. The candidates included officials at the Commerce Ministry who were seeking postings of trade officers in various Pakistani missions in foreign countries.
LUMS announced the results after the Islamabad High Court (IHC) issued stay order, obtained by trade officers posted abroad to seek an extension to their three-year term, expired. The screening test was conducted in May before the IHC intervened to stop the university from announcing the results.
Results revealed that the 264 candidates – from the public and private sectors – competed for 41 positions of trade officers, the break-up of which included nine positions in basic pay scale (BPS)-18, 26 slots in BPS-19 and six in BPS-20.
According to the report, a senior official at the Ministry of Commerce confirmed that most senior bureaucrats had failed to qualify.
Some of the notable candidates who failed to clear the screening process included Ministry of Commerce Joint Secretary Import and Export Muhammad Ashraf, deputy secretary Shafiq Shahzad and deputy secretary Fasiullah.
According to the report, the government had set the bar higher for the screening process, increasing the percentage marks required to clear the test from 40% to 60%. The official said the higher threshold was the reason behind the failure of most bureaucrats.
Additionally, under the new criteria, the government has also specified 80% passing marks for the written test, which would be held later, and 20% for the interview process instead of the earlier 40% and 60%, respectively.
The Ministry of Commerce will conduct the interviews through the Special Selection Board (SSB) in the coming week.