Islamabad (Syed Javed Hassan Shah): A Senate panel on Monday expressed concern over delays in the Federal Public Service Commission’s (FPSC) general recruitment process, which currently takes at least two years, and directed the Commission to expedite implementation.

The session of the Senate Committee on Delegated Legislation was chaired by Senator Naseema Ehsan.

The panel reviewed rules for CSS and general recruitment exams and examined regulations under the National Archives Act, 1993, and the Archival Material (Preservation and Export Control) Act, 1975.

The committee was briefed on reforms in the civil servants’ evaluation system and recruitment through the CSS examination.

The members expressed concern over delays in the FPSC general recruitment process, which currently takes at least two years.

The FPSC secretary informed the committee that computer-based testing (CBT) and MCQ-based papers are being introduced to reduce the duration to one year. The chairperson directed FPSC to expedite implementation.

The committee reiterated its earlier recommendation to increase the upper age limit and number of attempts for the CSS exam, arguing that this would benefit candidates from remote and underdeveloped areas, particularly Balochistan.

However, officials from the Establishment Division and FPSC maintained that such changes were not feasible due to service-related concerns.

The members also raised the issue of women-friendly workplace policies, with the chairperson directing authorities to ensure measures such as postings that support family stability.

FPSC informed the committee that the CSS syllabus is under review and will be refined, while issues related to outdated terminology in FPSC rules and minority representation were flagged for detailed briefing in the next meeting.

The committee also reviewed draft rules for the National Archives and expressed concern over the lack of coordination between federal and provincial archives, especially regarding ancient documents from archaeological sites such as Mehrgarh and Neri Kalat.

The chairperson highlighted the absence of a clear digitisation framework and directed relevant authorities to present a comprehensive briefing in the next meeting on preservation of archaeological records and the digitization plan for the National Archives.

Earlier this month, a Senate panel urged the FPSC to allow CSS candidates two examination attempts per year and to raise the upper age limit to 35 years.

The recommendation came during a meeting of the Sub-Committee of the Senate Standing Committee on the Cabinet Secretariat, held at the Parliament Lodges under the chairmanship of Senator Saleem Mandviwala.