Government employees in Pakistan

Government employees in Pakistan encompass all individuals employed by the government, including both civil and military personnel, who fulfill their duties within federal, provincial, or district areas of the government of Pakistan. Their recruitment and appointment in respective services adhere to the specifications outlined in the 1973 Constitution of Pakistan. Appointment and selection of appointees do not discriminate based on gender, ethnicity, race, or sectarian factors. Vacancies within each establishment for the employment of official staff are legally sanctioned by legislators and decision-making bodies.^[1]

Each governmental entity has its designated workforce and allocated resources specified for official tasks and responsibilities. Recruitment for positions within these entities varies according to qualification, both in terms of tier and occupation. All services operate within a hierarchical structure, with officials categorized into different grades, typically delineated by a basic pay scale structure. This categorization ensures the smooth, transparent, and meticulous execution of tasks, with remuneration commensurate with assigned responsibilities. ^[2]

Pay scales of employees

Responsibilities and tasks associated with each official position vary depending on the type of organization in which appointees are employed. Therefore, various pay scales are established in accordance with the nature of the job, taking into account the competitive environment. Each type of pay scale may differ in the amount paid to each official, as well as in the perks and privileges provided. ^[3]

However, equivalence criteria within various types of pay scales have also been established, as outlined in the following tables.

Equivalence of Officials based on pay scales in Pakistan

S.No	Pay scale type	Stage-1	Stage-2	Stage-3	Stage-4	Stage-5	Stage-6	Stage-7
1.	Basic pay scales	BPS-1~4	BPS-5~6	BPS-7~8	BPS-9~10	BPS-11~12	BPS-13~14	BPS-15~16
2.	Special pay scales	SPS-01	SPS-02	SPS-03	SPS-04	SPS-05	SPS-06	SPS-07A (Staff Cadre)
3.	Military pay scales	E-1	E-2 & E-3	E-4	E-5 & E-6	E-7	E-8	E-9

Equivalence of Gazetted Officers based on pay scales in Pakistan

S.No	Pay scale type	Stage-1	Stage-2	Stage-3	Stage-4	Stage-5	Stage-6	Stage-7	Stage-8
1.	Basic pay scale	BPS-16 & BPS-17	BPS-18	BPS-19	BPS-20	BPS-21	BPS-22	BPS-Spec	BPS-Apex
2.	Special pay scales	SPS-7 & SPS-8	SPS-9	SPS-10	SPS-11	SPS-12	SPS-13	SPS-14	–
3.	Military pay scales	O-1, 2 & 3	O-4	O-5	O-6 & 7	O-8	O-9	O-10	–
4.	Higher Judicial pay scales	–	–	–	–	J-III	J-II	J-I	O-Apex
5.	Management pay scales	–	–	–	MP-III	MP-II	MP-I	MP-Spec	–
6.	State Bank of Pakistan pay scales	OG-1, OG-2	OG-3,	OG-5, OG-4	OG-6	OG-7	OG-8	Governor	–
7.	National Bank of Pakistan pay scales	OG-3, OG-2	OG-1, AVP	VP	SVP	EVP	SEVP	President	–
8.	Higher Education Commission (HEC) pay scales	–	–	TTS-III	TTS-II	TTS-I	TTS-MP	TTS-Spec	–
9.	Diplomatic pay scales	–	–	–	HoM Grd-III	HoM Grd-II	HoM Grd-I	HoM Grd-Spec	HoM Grd-Apex
10.	SSGC pay scales	OG-1 To OG-4	OG-5,	OG-6, OG-7	OG-8	DMD	MD	–	–
11.	Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority Pay scales	EG-01 To EG -02	EG-03 To EG-04	EG-05 To EG-06	EG-07 To EG-08	EG-09 To EG-10 and ADG (Serving Air Vice Marshal (BPS-21) on deputation from Pakistan Air Force.)	DG	–	–
12.	Financial Monitoring Unit	FMU-1 & FMU-2	FMU-3	FMU-4	FMU-5	FMU-6 (Serving Executive Director (OG-8) on Deputation from State Bank of Pakistan.)

Gazetted Officers in Pakistan

Group / Services	BPS-16 & 17/ FMU-1 & 2 / O-1, 2 & 3 / SPS-7, SPS-8 / OG-1 & 2	BPS-18/ FMU-3 / O-4 / SPS-9 / OG-3 & 4	BPS-19 / FMU-4 / O-5 / SPS-10 / OG-5 & 6 / TTS-III	BPS-20 / FMU-5 / O-6 & 7 / SPS-11 / MP-III / OG-7 / TTS-II / HoM Grd-III	BPS-21 / FMU-6 / J-III / O-8 / SPS-12 / MP-II / OG-8 / TTS-I / HoM Grd-II	BPS-22 / J-II / O-9 / SPS-13 / MP-I / TTS-MP / HoM Grd-I	BPS-Spec / J-I / O-10 / SPS-14 / MP-Spec / TTS-Spec / HoM Grd-Spec	BPS-Apex / O-Apex / HoM Grd-Apex
Upper Judiciary					Additional Judges of the High Court Registrar of the High Court	Judges of the High Court Registrar of the Supreme Court	Judges of the Supreme Court Federal Ombudsman Chief Justice of the Federal Shariat Court Chief Justice of the High Court	Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP)
Lower Judiciary		Civil Judge cum Judicial Magistrate District Attorney (smaller districts)	Senior Civil Judge Assistant District & Session Judge District Attorney (larger districts)	Additional District & Session Judge	District & Session Judge
Lawyers				Assistant Advocate-General Deputy Attorney-General	Additional Advocate-General Additional Attorney-General	Advocate-General for province Attorney-General for Pakistan
Army	JCOs BPS-(13-16) 2nd Lieutenant Lieutenant Captain	Major	Lieutenant Colonel Colonel	Brigadier	Major General	Lieutenant General	General	Field Marshal
Navy	CPOs BPS-(13-16) Midshipman Sub-Lieutenant Lieutenant	Lieutenant Commander	Commander Captain	Commodore	Rear Admiral	Vice Admiral	Admiral	Admiral of the Fleet
Air Force	JCOs BPS-(13-16) Flight Lieutenant Flying Officer Pilot Officer	Squadron Leader	Wing Commander Group Captain	Air Commodore	Air Vice Marshal	Air Marshal	Air Chief Marshal	Marshal of the Air Force
Financial Monitoring Unit	FMU-1 Junior Officer FMU-2 Assistant Director	Deputy Director	Additional Director	Director	Director General
Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission	SPS-7/Officer Cadre Assistant Technical Officer Assistant Research Officer Assistant Accounts Officer Assistant Librarian SPS-8 Medical Officer Junior Engineer Junior Scientist Admin Officer Accounts Officer Research Analyst Technical Officer Research Officer Fire Officer Principal Nurse-II Khateeb-e-Ala-II	Senior Medical Officer Senior Engineer Senior Scientist Senior Admin Officer Senior Accounts Officer Senior Research Analyst Senior Technical Officer Senior Research Officer Senior Fire Officer Principal Nurse-I Khateeb-e-Ala-I	Principal Medical Officer Principal Engineer Principal Scientist Principal Admin Officer Principal Accounts Officer Principal Research Analyst Principal Technical Officer Principal Research Officer Principal Fire Officer	Deputy Chief Medical Officer Deputy Chief Engineer Deputy Chief Scientist Deputy Chief Admin Officer Deputy Chief Accounts Officer Deputy Chief Research Analyst Senior Principal Technical Officer Senior Principal Research Officer	Chief Medical Officer Chief Engineer Chief Scientist Chief Admin Officer Chief Accounts Officer Chief Research Analyst	Member, P.A.E.C	Chairman, PAEC
Police Service of Pakistan[4]	Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP)	Superintendent of Police (SP) Additional Superintendent of Police (Add. SP)	Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP/DPO)	Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG/RPO)	Inspector General of Police (IG) (Special Charge) Additional Inspector General of Police (Add. IG)	Inspector General of Police (IG) (Provincial Police Officer)
Engineering	Sub Divisional Engineer Assistant Executive Engineer Assistant Director Junior Engineer	Executive Engineer Deputy Director Manager Senior Engineer	Additional Chief Engineer Superintending Engineer Director Deputy General Manager Resident Engineer	Chief Engineer General Manager	Director General Chairman, WAPDA (Water and Power Development Authority)
Intermediate and Degree Colleges	Lecturer	Assistant Professor	Associate Professor	Professor Principal	Distinguished Professor Principal of Large Colleges
High Schools	Secondary School Teacher (SST) Senior Certified Teacher Senior Drawing Master Senior Arabic Teacher Senior Theology Teacher Senior Physical Education Teacher	Subject Specialist Senior Subject Specialist Director Physical Education.	Head Master	Principal
Medical	Medical Officer	Senior Medical Officer Medical Superintendent (Officiating)	Principal Medical Officer Medical Superintendent	Chief Medical Officer	Director General, Health Services
Higher Education Commission (HEC) / Universities	Research Associate	Lecturer	Assistant Professor	Associate Professor Chairman / Head of Department	Professor Pro Vice Chancellor Dean of Faculty	Vice Chancellor Meritorious Professor
Inter Services Intelligence	Assistant Director	Deputy Director	Joint Director Additional Director Director	Additional Director General Deputy Director General	Director General of a department	Director General, Inter Services Intelligence
Pakistan Nuclear Regulatory Authority	Assistant Engineer Scientific Officer	Senior Engineer Senior Scientific Officer	Principal Engineer Principal Scientific Officer	Senior Principal Engineer Chief Scientific Officer	Chief Engineer Chief Scientist	Member, PNRA	Chairman, PNRA
Pakistan Administrative Service[5]	Tehsildar to provincial government Under Secretary to Provincial Government Section Officer in Federal Secretariat Assistant Commissioner (AC) Assistant Political Agent (APA) Assistant Director of Federal / Provincial Department Deputy District Officer Assistant Coordination Officer	Deputy Secretary to Provincial Government Senior Section Officer in Federal Secretariat Deputy Commissioner (DC) for a smaller district Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) for a larger district Political Agent (PA) for a smaller agency Additional Political Agent for a larger agency Deputy Director of a Federal / Provincial Department District Officer Deputy District Coordination Officer	Additional Secretary to Provincial Government Deputy Secretary to the Government of Pakistan Additional Commissioner of a Larger Administrative Division (Appointment created on required basis). Deputy Commissioner (DC) for a larger district Political Agent (PA) for a larger agency Project Manager for Federal Scheme Director of a Federal / Provincial Department District Coordination officer	Joint Secretary to the Government of Pakistan Secretary / Special Secretary to Provincial Government Member Provincial Board of Revenue Commissioners of Administrative Divisions Project Director for Federal Scheme Director General of Federal Department	Additional Chief Secretary to Provincial Government Senior Secretary to Provincial Government Acting Secretary to the Government of Pakistan Additional Secretary to the Government of Pakistan Senior Joint Secretary to the Government of Pakistan Senior Member Provincial Board of Revenue Commissioners of Larger Administrative Divisions Chairman of Federal Organisation Chief Executive / Managing Director of Public Corporation Chief Secretary to AJ&K / Gilgit-Baltistan Government. Chairman Provincial Statutory Board	Chief Secretary to Provincial Government Federal Secretary Director General of Autonomous Federal Department / Agency Chairman of Autonomous Federal Organisation Managing Director / Chief Executive of Autonomous Public Corporation Chairman Federal Boards	Secretary General to the Government of Pakistan
National Counter Terrorism Authority	Assistant Director Junior Analyst	Deputy Director Analyst	Director Senior Analyst	Director General	Deputy National Coordinator Member	National Coordinator
Federal Investigation Agency	Assistant Director	Deputy Director	Additional Director	Director	Director General (Special Charge) Additional Director General	Director General of the Federal Investigation Agency
Foreign services of Pakistan[4]	Third Secretary (Abroad) Vice Consul (Abroad) Section Officer	First Secretary (Abroad) Consul (Abroad) Second Secretary (Abroad) Deputy Director	Consul General (Abroad) Counselor (Abroad) Director	Head of Mission Grade-3 (Ambassador / High commissioner / Permanent Representative) Minister (Abroad) Consul General (Abroad) Director General	Head of Mission Grade-2 Additional Secretary	Head of Mission Grade-1 Foreign Secretary	Secretary General (Foreign Affairs) Ambassador-at-Large
Office Management / Secretariat Group [5]	Section Officer	Senior Section Officer	Deputy Secretary	Joint Secretary	Additional Secretary Senior Joint Secretary	Federal Secretary
Pakistan Audit and Accounts Group[6]	Assistant Accountant General Assistant Audit Officer Assistant Accounts Officer Assistant Controller Military Accounts Assistant Director Audit Assistant Controller Naval accounts Assistant Controller local Audit	Deputy Accountant General Audit Officer Accounts Officer Deputaty Controller Military Accounts Deputy Director Audit Deputy Controller Naval accounts Deputy Controller local audit	Additional Accountant General Director Audit	Deputy Auditor General Accountant General Controller Military Accountant General Director General Audit Finance Advisor	Military Accountant General Accountant General Pakistan Revenue	Additional Auditor General	Auditor General of Pakistan
Inland Revenue Service[4]	Assistant Commissioner, I.R.S	Deputy Commissioner, I.R.S	Additional Commissioner, I.R.S	Commissioner, I.R.S	Member Federal Board of Revenue Chief Commissioner, I.R.S	Chairman, Federal Board of Revenue
Customs and Excise Group	Assistant Collector	Deputy Collector	Additional Collector	Collector	Member Federal Board of Revenue Chief Collector	Chairman, Federal Board of Revenue
Commerce and Trade Group	Commercial Attaché Assistant Director	Commercial Secretary Deputy Director	Commercial Counselor (Abroad) Director	Minister Trade/Economic (Abroad) Consul General (Abroad)	Executive Director General
Military Lands and Cantonment Group[6]	Cantonment Executive Officer (C-Cat Cantt) Additional Cantonment Executive Officer (B-Cat Cantt) Military Estate Officer (C-Cat Cantt)	Cantonment Executive Officer (B-Cat Cantt) Additional Cantonment Executive Officer (A-Cat Cantt) Military Estate Officer (B-Cat Cantt)	Cantonment Executive Officer (A-Cat Cantt) Military Estate Officer (A-Cat Cantt)	Director	Deputy Director General Regional Director	Director General
Railways (Commercial and Transportation) Group[6]	Assistant Commercial/Transportation Officer	Senior Commercial/Transportation Officer Divisional Commercial/Transportation Officer	Chief Operating Superintendent (COPS) Chief Commercial Manager (CCM) Divisional Superintendent (DS)	Additional General Manager (AGM)	CEO/Sr. General Manager, Pakistan Railways
Information Group[6]	Assistant Director Information Officer	Press Attaché (Abroad) Private Secretary (State Minister) Public Relations Officer Deputy Director	Press Consular (Abroad) Private Secretary (Minister) Deputy Press Secretary Director	Press Minister (Abroad) Director General	Principal Information Officer Press Secretary (Prime Minister)
Postal Group[6]	Post Officer, Postal Unit	Divisional Superintendent Post Assistant Post Master General	Deputy Post Master General	Post Master General	Deputy Director General Post	Director General, Pakistan Post

Levels of Pay

While there are several Pay Scale Systems in Pakistan besides the Basic Pay Scale (BPS), the BPS is the most widely used pay scale system in the country. The majority of government departments and organizations adhere to the BPS System. Examples of other pay systems in Pakistan include the Special Pay Scale (SPS) and army scales, while private organizations, companies, and industries are free to devise their own pay structures, subject to the government setting a minimum salary for private employees.

BPS scales undergo regular revisions every few years. They were revised in 2008, then again in 2011 after three years, and once more in 2015 after four years, taking into account the inflation rate in Pakistan. As of the latest update, the Basic Pay Scale Structure for 2022 has been introduced.

It's important to note that minimum pay, maximum pay, annual increments, and all other allowances are denoted in Pakistani rupees. Civil servants also receive various other allowances in addition to their basic pay, according to the rules of their department/organization and their terms of service. These allowances may include Ad hoc Relief Allowance, Medical Allowance, Special Pay, Conveyance Allowance, House Rent Allowance, and several other miscellaneous allowances, as applicable.

Both the Federal Government and provincial governments have their own separate pay systems, which are closely similar to each other. Pay, emoluments, allowances, pensions, and all other perks and privileges for government serving/retired servants not only vary with their status, rank, appointment, and service duration but also with their affiliated services. For instance, an officer holding the appointment of additional secretary in the Federal Government is classified as grade 21. However, the same appointment held by an incumbent in the Provincial Government would be of grade 19. Therefore, appointments also vary in scale depending on the individual's affiliated service. ^[7]

Promotion opportunities

The Central Selection Board (CSB) of the Federal Public Service Commission is supposed to meet twice in a year to consider promotion opportunities for the appointed employees of Civil Service of Pakistan.^[5]