Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal has emphasized the need to create equal opportunities for all to unlock the true potential of Pakistan’s human capital.

He was jointly chairing a high-level meeting with Minister for Climate Change Musadik Malik on civil service reforms in Islamabad today.

Ahsan Iqbal proposed the creation of a new executive service cadre that would allow mid-career officers to serve in domains aligned with their expertise and interests, thereby improving institutional effectiveness and job satisfaction. He said Pakistan’s over-reliance on the English language as a marker of competence has marginalized the majority of the population. He added that real progress requires valuing knowledge, skills, and professional competence over mere linguistic proficiency.

Musadik Malik said reforms that do not directly aim to improve performance are inherently meaningless.