Government of Pakistan Cabinet Secretariat, Establishment Division has issued Notification No. 4/3/2016-T-IV dated 16-02-2016 in connection with Policy Guidelines for Foreign Appointments and Posting in Pakistan Missions Abroad and against Pakistan’s seats in International, Multilateral, Bilateral and Regional Organizations, FORA and Bodies.

Detail is as under:

The undersigned is directed to say that the Prime Minister has been pleased to approve the following guidelines for foreign appointments and postings in Pakistan Missions

Abroad and against Pakistan’s seats in international, Multilateral, Bilateral and regional organizations, Fora and Bodies:-

1. For the purposes of these policy guidelines, “foreign posting” means and includes, but is not limited to, foreign appointments and postings in Pakistan Missions Abroad and against Pakistan’s Seats in International, Multilateral, Bilateral and Regional Organizations, Fora and Bodies; but does not include foreign postings related to defence, intelligence and security affairs and foreign posts which are the cadre posts of any service, cadre or occupational group;
2. The services, cadres and occupational groups, eligible for selection against each foreign post, against which foreign posting is made, will be clearly defined and identified by the concerned Ministry or Division, keeping in view the job description and responsibility of each foreign post vis-a-vis services, cadres and occupational groups, the officers of which generally possess the qualification, experience and skills necessary to fulfil these responsibilities efficiently;
3. iii. The concerned Ministry or Division, in each case, shall ensure that selection process is completely transparent and absolutely merit-based. Such transparency and merit shall be clearly visible from the processes, procedures and practices that are adopted for selection;
4. All foreign posts that are vacant and available or are likely to become vacant and available within one year of the date of circulation of such vacancy, will be circulated amongst the officers of the identified services, cadres and occupational groups, clearly specifying eligibility criteria in terms of educational qualifications, experience, age and so forth;
5. There shall be a precondition of passing a written qualifying test, but the test shall be organized by the concerned Ministry through the Lahore University of Management Sciences, Lahore or the Institute of Business Administration, Karachi;
6. The minimum qualifying score in the written test will be set at 60 percent;
7. vii. Candidates qualifying the test will be called for an interview, which will be conducted by a committee to be constituted with the approval of the Prime

Minister;

8. Eighty percent weightage will be given to the written test scores and twenty percent weightage to the interview scores;

9. No minimum passing marks shall be fixed for the interview, and no candidate will be deemed to have failed in the selection process merely on the basis of his or her performance in the interview;

10. Successful candidates shall be given, in order of their merit, comprising of summation of scores in written test and interview, the option to choose the station of their choice from amongst circulated stations;

11-The tenure fixed for each foreign post shall be strictly followed and will not be extendable;

12- An officer of identified services, cadres and occupational groups for any foreign post will be eligible for two tenures of foreign posting in his entire service, provided that there shall be an intervening period of at least three years between two such tenures;

13- No relaxation or exception to the above policy guidelines shall be granted without prior approval of the Prime Minister for which the concerned

Ministry shall provide detailed justifications in a Summary; and,

14- Failure to initiate and complete the process of selection of new officers, prior to completion of tenures of incumbents shall be the personal responsibility of the concerned Secretary.

2. The Ministries/Divisions are requested to strictly follow this procedure in future while recommending officers for posting abroad in Pakistan Missions and against Pakistan’s seats in International, Multilateral, Bilateral and Regional Organizations, Fora and Bodies.