Federal Secretary


The Federal Secretary is the highest-ranking position in the Government of Pakistan, occupied by the most senior civil servant in a specific Ministry or Division. The Secretary is the administrative head of that Ministry or Division and oversees and enforces public policy matters. The authority for the creation of this post solely rests with the Cabinet of Pakistan. The position holder is a BPS-22 grade officer, usually belonging to the Pakistan Administrative Service.
All promotions and appointments to this rank and post are directly made by the Prime Minister of Pakistan. The post of Federal Secretary is equivalent to that of Chief Secretary of a provincial Government and to the rank of Lieutenant General in Pakistan Army, Air Marshal in Pakistan Air Force and Vice Admiral in Pakistan Navy.
Due to the importance of their respective assignments, there are twelve specific federal secretaries which are considered to be the most vital in the Government of Pakistan. These include the Secretary Establishment, Secretary Cabinet, Secretary to the Prime Minister, Secretary Interior, Secretary Finance, Secretary Commerce, Secretary Foreign Affairs, Secretary Maritime Affairs, Secretary Power, Secretary Planning and Development, Secretary Petroleum and Secretary Industries.

Powers and responsibilities

The Federal Secretary is the administrative head of the Ministry or Division, and is the principal adviser to the Minister on all matters of policy and administration within the Ministry/Division.
The role of Secretary is as follows:
The federal secretaries are the most senior and experienced officers in the country and are largely considered to be the most powerful individuals in the government. Promotion to the rank of Federal Secretary is regarded as a very tough task given the high level of scrutiny taken into place when the promotions are done by the High Powered Selection Board which is chaired by the Prime Minister. As the career service of federal secretaries and other bureaucrats are immune to the transition of political governments, they are seen as the real policy-makers who govern the country and serve as the spinal cord for the establishment.

Federal Secretary slots