The federal government has abolished 2,007 technical posts in the National Highways and Motorway Police under its rightsizing policy, Parliamentary Secretary for Communications Gul Asghar Khan informed the National Assembly on Thursday.
He was responding to a calling attention notice about the end of the earlier service structure for technical staff. That change had stopped promotions and hurt career progression for employees in those cadres. The abolished roles, he said, included plumbers, electricians and other technical personnel.
Why the posts were abolished
Gul Asghar Khan said the move followed federal directives to eliminate dying cadres and streamline public-sector operations. The federal cabinet ordered such cadres abolished, after which the Ministry of Communications removed the posts.
He told the House that the ministry had previously promoted staff working in these cadres. A rightsizing committee set up on the prime minister’s instructions later recommended ending dying cadres and outsourcing services wherever possible, to ease the financial burden on the federal government.
The parliamentary secretary clarified that the Cabinet and the Establishment Division took the decision. The Ministry of Communications, he said, cannot reverse it on its own.
What remains for technical staff
Gul Asghar Khan said remaining employees would still be eligible for promotion under the existing policy once they complete the prescribed periods of service. He repeated that promotions would follow the applicable rules after those service periods are met.
During the debate, MNA Neelam asked the government to reconsider. She noted that technical employees had served in these cadres for several years and urged that the issue be taken up at cabinet level so that concerns about career progression and promotion prospects could be addressed.
Responding to her, Gul Asghar Khan said the rightsizing policy is being applied across all federal ministries. It is not limited to the Ministry of Communications or the Motorway Police, he added.
Wider federal rightsizing
He also told the Assembly that about 4,000 posts had been abolished in the Pakistan Post Office under the same policy. That figure underlines how the drive extends beyond the Motorway Police technical posts cut announced in the House.
For now, the parliamentary secretary’s account leaves the cabinet and Establishment Division decision in place, with promotions for remaining staff tied to existing service rules rather than the discontinued structure that prompted the calling attention notice.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Sarkar ne Motorway Police ke 2,007 technical posts khatam kar diye hain, jin mein plumber aur electrician jaise kaam shamil hain. Yeh faisla rightsizing policy ke tehat cabinet ne liya hai, is liye Communications Ministry khud isay wapas nahi kar sakti. Jo staff reh gaya hai, woh pehle wali policy ke mutabiq service poori karke promotion le sakta hai. Pakistan Post mein bhi is policy ke tehat lagbhag 4,000 posts khatam hue hain.
