Peshawar – The Provincial Management Service (PMS) Association, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, has strongly opposed the Federal Government’s decision to increase the minimum service requirement for induction into the Pakistan Administrative Service (PAS) from 12 years to 15 years, describing the move as arbitrary, unconstitutional, and detrimental to the rights of provincial civil servants.
In a joint representation addressed to the Secretary, Establishment Division, Islamabad, the Association urged the Federal Government to reconsider and withdraw SRO No. 916(I)/2026 dated June 4, 2026, arguing that the amendment lacks constitutional justification and unfairly alters the eligibility criteria for PMS and PCS officers seeking induction into PAS.
The representation states that the Association remains firmly opposed to the existing induction mechanism, maintaining that PAS officers continue to be recruited, promoted, and posted against provincial posts in violation of the constitutional distribution of powers between the Federation and the provinces.According to the document, successive amendments made through SRO 1046(I)/2020 and subsequent notifications have attempted to legitimize the PAS induction framework through subordinate legislation rather than through Parliament or the Provincial Assemblies, thereby bypassing constitutionally mandated legislative procedures.
The Association further alleged that amendments to the Civil Servants Promotion (CSP) Rules enabled the Federal Government to reserve and regulate posts connected with provincial affairs.It also objected to changes in the definition of Federal Government” and Provincial Government, contending that these amendments expanded executive authority beyond constitutional limits.The representation also criticized the alteration of the Inter Provincial Coordination Committee (IPCC) formula from a percentage based system to fixed numerical allocations, claiming that the revised formula mirrors the controversial 1993 arrangement under which provincial posts were reserved for PAS officers.According to the Association, the formula remained confidential until it was made public in 2020.
The PMS Association further argued that the Provincial Management Service and Provincial Civil Service (Induction into Pakistan Administrative Service) Rules, 2020, notified through SRO 274(I)/2021, exceed the constitutional mandate of the Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC). Referring to Article 242(1) of the Constitution, the Association asserted that legislation governing provincial services falls within the jurisdiction of the Provincial Assemblies and maintained that the FPSC had acted beyond its constitutional authority.
The Association informed the Establishment Division that it would not participate in the scheduled meeting on the matter and requested that its constitutional and legal objections be formally incorporated into the official minutes.The representation has also been forwarded to the President of Pakistan and the Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for consideration.The latest development highlights growing tensions between provincial service officers and the Federal Government over the legal framework governing induction into the Pakistan Administrative Service, with the constitutional validity of the existing mechanism remaining a matter of continued debate.