Reforms a must to end political influence on public admin

Adviser to Prime Minister HT Imam yesterday said reforms in the public administration are needed to eliminate political influence from the civil service.
Establishment ministry needs to redefine its role, vision and mission and the name of the ministry should also be changed and a more meaningful name be given, he added.
The adviser said this at the inaugural ceremony of a workshop on 'Mission, vision, values, role and renaming of ministry of establishment' organised by Civil Service Change Management Programme (CSCMP) of the ministry at a city hotel.
“We want to create an efficient, pro-people civil service to deliver the services on the doorstep of people focusing the spirit of the liberation war,” Imam told journalists after the inauguration.
“Civil servants would be free from partisan influence if they are efficient and honest,” he added.
Imam, the PM's adviser on establishment and administrative affairs, said the name 'establishment ministry' does not reflect the works it does. So, the ministry should be renamed with a meaningful one.
“We need to work collectively to implement the vision 2021 and beyond it,” he mentioned.
UNDP Country Director Stefan Priesner as the special guest said the workshop was aimed that the ministry seeks to build consensus on its vision, mission and values, to facilitate the renaming process and revisit its role.
Additional Secretary of the ministry Dr Muhammad Sadique said they have been going to the grassroots level to bring about change in the ministry and around 300 proposals have so far been received for the reforms.
Establishment Secretary Iqbal Mahmood chaired the workshop.