PMS Association alleges discrimination in Punjab Bureaucracy, seeks 21 reforms

The Provincial Management Service (PMS) Officers Association Punjab has approached Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif with a 21-point charter of demands alleging discrimination against provincial officers in promotions, senior appointments and the allocation of official facilities.

In a letter to the chief minister the association welcomed the provincial government’s focus on accountability and good governance but maintained that these principles should also apply to the senior administrative structure.

The association highlighted what it described as a significant imbalance between PMS and Pakistan Administrative Service (PAS) officers in Punjab. According to its figures the province has around 1,300 PMS officers compared with 336 PAS officers yet provincial officers remain underrepresented in several senior positions.

Promotion delays among key concerns

One of the major complaints concerns the promotion of officers recruited in 2008. The association claimed that members of the same batch in the other three provinces had progressed to Grade 20 whereas their counterparts in Punjab were still serving in Grade 18.

It also alleged that promotion boards for PMS officers had been repeatedly delayed. To address the issue the association proposed transferring the promotion process to an independent institution such as the Punjab Public Service Commission (PPSC) to improve transparency and ensure merit-based decisions.

Disparity in senior appointments

The letter also presented figures highlighting the representation of PAS and PMS officers across different administrative grades. It claimed that all Grade 22 positions were occupied by PAS officers while the distribution stood at 65 per cent PAS and 35 per cent PMS in Grade 21 and 60 per cent PAS against 40 per cent PMS in Grade 20.

The association further stated that only seven of Punjab’s 41 secretaries were PMS officers compared with 34 from PAS. Among 10 commissioners, it reported two PMS and eight PAS officers while eight of the province’s 41 deputy commissioners belonged to PMS and 33 to PAS.

Concerns over residences and facilities

The association also raised objections to the distribution of official accommodation claiming that 95 per cent of residences at DHA Central One GOR had been allotted to PAS officers.

It called for a digital and transparent system for allocating government residences and sought equal access for PMS officers to membership of the Punjab Civil Officers Mess.

The association has urged Maryam Nawaz to intervene and ensure fair treatment transparent promotions and equal professional opportunities for provincial officers.

The letter could bring renewed attention to the distribution of administrative authority and senior appointments within Punjab’s bureaucracy.