EDITORIAL: A Business Recorder exclusive has revealed that the cabinet has decided to amend existing laws to attract talent from the private sector under the guidance of Adviser to the Prime Minister on Institutional Reforms and Austerity Dr Ishrat Husain who, reportedly, stated that talent from the private sector cannot be attracted merely through local advertisements. Private sector talent, many cabinet members also noted, can be attracted through headhunting and/or international advertisements not allowed under the existing laws. During the cabinet meeting reference was also made to the need to change the Companies Act, the Corporate Governance Rules and, if required, the Estacode (Civil Establishment Code) impeding the induction of talented/competent professionals from the private sector.

In Pakistan, there is an additional lacuna in the way of attracting talent from the private sector which is the widely held perception that vested interests, inclusive of not only members of the executive but also those serving in senior positions in the civil service, manage to remove upright and competent leadership from the private sector. One affected from the private sector has lamented that "this has been a regular practice of political masters...and bureaucrats fully support such practices by taking additional charges of senior management posts in government entities."

There are hundreds of instances of members of the executive wanting to appoint their own 'men' at key posts. And at the same time, there is a powerful cabal within the civil service which promotes their close associates (including their batch-mates). It has been frequently reported in the Pakistani media that the post of the Prime Minister's Principal Secretary (PMPS) is extremely powerful and, once the party loses the elections, is fraught with serious legal complications: Azam Khan as Imran Khan's PMPS epitomizes the former as he is known to wield massive power that, as per the Prime Minister's former right hand man Jehangir Tareen is, amongst others, the man behind his being sidelined by the party leader; and Fawad Hasan Fawad reflects the latter as he has been embroiled in legal issues since the end of the PML-N administration.

Ironically, even those inducted as 'technocrats' in the cabinet have gotten rid of all those senior civilian members of their ministries who have challenged their decisions on legitimate grounds. One example is the summary dismissal of Younus Dagha by the newly-appointed Advisor to the Prime Minister on Finance Dr Hafeez Sheikh in May 2019 as he had reportedly raised some relevant objections to the time-bound quantitative targets and structural benchmarks proposed by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) negotiating team. While hindsight is 20-20 yet even at that time the general consensus was that the tax collection target of 5.5 trillion rupees agreed by the Pakistani authorities was unrealistic especially given the 2.4 percent growth rate projected for 2019-20. While Dr Sheikh may lay the blame for non-compliance with this target on the previous Chairman of FBR and on the fallout of Covid-19 yet there is general consensus amongst independent economists that the target itself was too unrealistic to merit serious consideration.

Under the directives of the Supreme Court, former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif set up a three-member committee comprising men of integrity to shortlist and recommend for vacant senior positions in government entities. Unfortunately, however, their recommendations were not followed and the three men displayed their integrity a few months after the committee was established by resigning en masse.

The Cabinet decision to revisit the rules and regulations in terms of attracting private sector talent must be fully appreciated and this must be followed by reestablishing a committee that may be headed by Dr Ishrat Husain with two other men of integrity to headhunt/select/shortlist the most talented people for vacant posts.