Punjab Abolishes 101 Section Officer Posts in Secretariat

In a major organizational restructuring, the provincial government of Punjab has formally communicated the abolishment of 101 Grade-17 section officer roles across 40 administrative departments. The directive, issued by the Punjab Additional Chief Secretary to all administrative secretaries, confirms the formal elimination of these secretariat positions, including 15 posts operating under the South Punjab Civil Secretariat.

This formal notification follows an earlier decision by provincial authorities to convert these Grade-17 desk jobs into Additional Assistant Commissioner (AAC) roles stationed in field tehsils. The administrative shift aims to deploy personnel directly into local governance functions rather than keeping them confined to central secretariat desks.

The structural change has created visible unrest among members of the Punjab Management Service (PMS). Officers from the provincial cadre voiced frustration over the policy, alleging that Pakistan Administrative Service (PAS) officials engineered the modifications unilaterally without equitable consultation. PMS representatives expressed concern that junior officers were being redirected away from standard career trajectories prior to receiving regular appointments as assistant commissioners.

To address cadre grievances, PMS members advocated for equal representation, urging that federal PAS officers also be appointed to AAC positions in matching proportions.

According to reports from Dawn Pakistan, the initial rollout of the policy has already seen 35 officers deployed as Additional Assistant Commissioners across various tehsils. Out of this first cohort, 22 appointments were drawn from the PMS cadre, while 13 were selected from the PAS ranks, marking the beginning of the newly restructured field administrative setup.