The Federal Secretary (also referred to as the Secretary to the Government of Pakistan) is the highest-ranking position in the Government of Pakistan, occupied by the most senior civil servant in a specific ministry or division. The secretary is the administrative head of that ministry or division and oversees and enforces public policy matters. [1] [2] The authority for the creation of this post solely rests with the Cabinet of Pakistan. The position holder is a BPS-22 grade officer, usually belonging to the Pakistan Administrative Service. [3] [4] [5]
All promotions and appointments to this rank and post are directly made by the prime minister of Pakistan. [6] [7] The post of federal secretary is equivalent to that of chief secretary of a provincial government (within their respective provinces) and to the rank of General in the Pakistan Army, Air Marshal in the Pakistan Air Force, and Admiral in the Pakistan Navy. [8] [9]
Due to the importance of their respective assignments, there are twelve specific federal secretaries which are considered to be the most vital in the Government of Pakistan. These include the establishment secretary (responsible for civil service matters), finance secretary (responsible for the country's treasury), secretary to the prime minister (responsible for Prime Minister's Office), cabinet secretary (responsible for the Cabinet Division), interior secretary (responsible for law and order), commerce secretary (responsible for trade), foreign secretary (responsible for foreign relations), maritime secretary (responsible for ports and shipping), power secretary (responsible for the electricity and power sector), planning and development secretary (responsible for development projects), petroleum secretary (responsible for the petroleum sector), and industry secretary (responsible for industrial development). [10]
The federal secretary is the administrative head of the ministry or division, [11] and oversees all matters of policy and administration within the ministry or /division. [12]
The role of secretary is as follows: [12]
The federal secretaries are the most senior and experienced officers in the country and are largely considered to be the most powerful individuals in the government. [13] [14] [15] [16] Promotion to the rank of federal secretary is regarded as a very tough task given the high level of scrutiny taken into place when the promotions are done by the High Powered Selection Board (HPSB) which is chaired by the prime minister. [17] As the career service of federal secretaries and other bureaucrats are immune to the transition of political governments, they are seen as the real policy-makers who govern the country and serve as the spinal cord for the establishment. [18]
The Pakistan Administrative Service, or PAS is an elite cadre of the Civil Services of Pakistan. The Pakistan Administrative Service over the years has emerged as the most consolidated and developed post-colonial institution in Pakistan, with the PAS officers of Grade 22 often seen as stronger than the federal government ministers. The service of PAS is generalist in nature and officers are assigned to different departments all across Pakistan during the course of their careers. Almost all of the country's highest-profile positions such as the Federal Secretaries, the provincial Chief Secretaries, and chairmen of top-heavy organizations like the National Highway Authority, Trading Corporation of Pakistan and State Life Insurance Corporation usually belong to the Pakistan Administrative Service.
Kamran Michael is a Pakistani politician who served as Minister for Statistics, in Abbasi cabinet from August 2017 to May 2018. He previously served as the Minister for Human Rights in the third Sharif ministry from 2013 to 2017. A member of the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz), Michael held the cabinet portfolio of Minister for Ports and Shipping from 2013 to 2016.
Shafqat Mahmood is a retired Pakistani bureaucrat-turned-politician who served as the Federal Minister for Federal Education and Professional Training, and Federal Minister for National History and Literary Heritage, from 20 August 2018 to 3 April 2022. Before going into politics, he served as a grade 20 officer of the Pakistan Administrative Service.
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Allah Dino Khawaja is a Pakistani police officer who serves in BPS-22 grade as the Federal Secretary for Ministry of Human Rights. A.D Khawaja is batchmates with prominent bureaucrats namely Fawad Hasan Fawad (PAS), Rizwan Ahmed (PAS), Sikandar Sultan Raja (PAS) and Hussain Asghar (PSP).
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Fawad Hasan Fawad is a Pakistani public policy practitioner, former civil servant who served in BPS-22 grade as the Principal Secretary to two Prime Ministers, Nawaz Sharif and Shahid Khaqan Abbasi; and later as caretaker Federal Minister for Privatisation and Federal Minister for Inter Provincial Coordination.
Jawad Rafique Malik is a retired officer of Pakistani civil service who served in BPS-22 grade as Chief Secretary Punjab and Federal Secretary of the Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan Division. Hailing from Lahore, Malik belongs to the Pakistan Administrative Service and is batchmates with Fawad Hasan Fawad, Rizwan Ahmed, Sikandar Sultan Raja and Shoaib Mir Memon.
Sikandar Sultan Raja is a retired Pakistani civil servant who has been the Chief Election Commissioner of Pakistan since January 2020. Raja belongs to the Pakistan Administrative Service and is batchmates with Rizwan Ahmed, Hussain Asghar and Fawad Hasan Fawad.
The Chief Secretary Punjab, also referred to as CS Punjab, is the bureaucratic chief and highest-ranking official of the Government of Punjab, Pakistan. The appointment of the Chief Secretary is made directly by the Prime Minister of Pakistan. The position of Chief Secretary is equivalent to the rank of Federal Secretary and the position holder usually belongs to the Pakistan Administrative Service.
Nasir Mahmood Khosa is a retired Pakistani civil servant from Dera Ghazi Khan who belonged to the Pakistan Administrative Service and served in BPS-22 grade, the highest attainable rank for a serving officer. He was promoted to the rank of Federal Secretary in 2010.
Grade-22 is the highest attainable rank for a Civil Servant in Pakistan. Grade 22 is equal to a 4-star rank of the Pakistan Armed Forces. With over five hundred thousand civil servants and bureaucrats in Pakistan, only a few dozen officers serve in BPS-22 grade at a given time. Hence, not even 1% of the country's civil servants and/or bureaucrats make it to the highest rank. Officers serving in BPS-22 grade are largely considered to be the most influential individuals in the country.
Fawad Ahmed Hussain Chaudhry is a Pakistani politician who served as federal minister for Information and Broadcasting, in office since 14 April 2021 to 10 April 2022. On 24 May 2023 announced he is taking "break" from politics.
The Imran Khan government was the Federal Cabinet of Pakistan from 20 August 2018 to 10 April 2022. It was formed by Imran Khan following general elections on 25 July 2018, which saw the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf come to power. The cabinet had 34 federal ministers, 7 ministers of state, 10 Advisers to the Prime Minister and 35 Special Assistants to the Prime Minister (SAPM), most of whom assumed office on 20 August 2018. The government was dissolved on 3 April 2022 following the dissolution of the National Assembly of Pakistan by the President, Arif Alvi at the behest of the Prime Minister, Imran Khan. On 7 April 2022, the Supreme Court of Pakistan ordered the restoration of the Federal Cabinet and National Assembly. On 10 April 2024 the government was defeated in a Vote of No-confidence (VONC) against Imran Khan, leading to its subsequent dissolution.
The first 100 days of Imran Khan's premiership began with his oath of office ceremony on 18 August 2018 as the 22nd Prime Minister of Pakistan – shortly after the oath-taking of the 15th National Assembly of Pakistan on 13 August, and the elected parliament's vote of confidence for Khan's premiership on 17 August. The 100th day of his premiership was 25 November 2018.
Muhammad Shehzad Arbab is a retired Pakistani civil servant who served as Advisor to Prime Minister Imran Khan on Establishment from August 2018 to 10 April 2022. Before his retirement from civil services, Arbab served in BPS-22 grade as the Commerce Secretary of Pakistan and Chief Secretary Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He belongs to the Pakistan Administrative Service and is batchmates with Tariq Bajwa, Babar Yaqoob Fateh Muhammad and Sajjad Saleem Hotiana.
Naveed Kamran Baloch is a retired Pakistani civil servant who served in BPS-22 grade at the top bureaucratic offices of Cabinet Secretary and Finance Secretary of Pakistan. Baloch belonged to the Pakistan Administrative Service and was promoted to the rank of Federal Secretary in October 2017. After retirement from active civil service as one of the senior-most federal secretaries in the country, Baloch was appointed as the executive director to World Bank.
Iqbal Hussain Durrani is a retired Pakistani civil servant who served in BPS-22 grade as the National Security Secretary of Pakistan. Durrani belongs to the Pakistan Administrative Service and is the son-in-law of former Chief Minister of Sindh, Qaim Ali Shah. History was made when Prime Minister Imran Khan in 2019 promoted both Durrani as well as his wife, Pakistan Administrative Service officer Naheed Shah Durrani, to grade 22; as it was the first time in the country's bureaucratic history that both husband and wife were promoted together to the elite rank of Federal Secretary.
Maj (r) Azam Suleman Khan is a retired Pakistani civil servant who served as the Provincial Ombudsman of Punjab. He previously served in BPS-22 grade as the Interior Secretary of Pakistan, Chief Secretary Punjab and as Chief Secretary Sindh. Khan was promoted to the rank of Federal Secretary in February 2017 by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.