HUMAN RESOURCE WING

After the enactment of 18^th Amendment in the 1973 Constitution, the conduct of Local Government Elections was also entrusted to the Election Commission and thus workload of the Commission increased manifold. The Commission realizing the sensitivity of the additional constitutional obligations took a number of initiatives for restructuring the Wings and its field offices to conform to the requirements and in keeping with a futuristic outlook. In consultation with the Heads of wings of ECP Secretariat and Provincial Election Commissioners, the workload and manpower of different wings of ECP Secretariat and Field Offices was re-assessed and following steps were taken:

• New job descriptions were defined in keeping with available strength and assigned workload and fresh tasks were defined with foreseeable/tangible goals.
• Each sanctioned post was tracked and recorded on a spread sheet. Proper historical context with an eye to the future was kept in view in the whole exercise.
• Designated officers and complementary staff were re-evaluated in a corporate manner.
• Old cumbersome posts were abolished and new impactful ones created as needed.

            Considering the prodigious duty of Local Government Elections entrusted to the Commission by 18^th Amendment in the Constitution, increased workload and responsibilities stemming out of new scenario, whereby new Divisions and Districts were created affecting the revenue boundaries in Provinces, the CEC personally engaged with the team in HR Wing’s re-engineering and rationalization exercise of the available resources with a forward vision. After gathering relevant data, the Review and Rationalization of human resource exercise was initiated in the first quarter of 2020. The rationale being to optimize employee performance in keeping with requirement at both the Secretariat and the field offices. In the first phase, the rationalization process of HR was undertaken in the ECP Secretariat.

 

1. RATIONALIZATION IN ECP SECRETARIAT, ISLAMABAD:

Political Finance Wing was reformed to maintain financial discipline with a new technical cadre as against previously, whereby officers of general cadre, being non-technical, were performing the duties. Law Wing was beefed-up with addition of key post. Project Management Unit was incorporated for development of key digital projects. Job descriptions of posts were framed to bring equilibrium with the duties and responsibilities of officers. Resultantly, at ECP Secretariat, 67 new posts of officers and officials from BS-02 to BS-21 were created, besides, 21 were abolished, considered obsolete. Furthermore, 08 posts were re-designated and 04 were downgraded. During the 2^nd phase of Review & Rationalization conducted in the month of May & June, 2025, 32 posts were created from BS-20 and below, 12 posts were abolished being redundant. Whereas, 19 posts were
re-designated. After completion of rationalization process, the Secretariat emerged as a more specialized and professionally strengthened entity:

 

Sanctioned strength prior to Rationalization	Sanctioned strength after Rationalization [First phase]	Existing strength as on September, 2025
364	410	568
Note: 261 posts have been created since 2020 till date.

 

1. RATIONALIZATION IN PROVINCIAL ELECTION COMMISSIONERS’ AND FIELD OFFICES:

The process was thereafter extended to the Provincial Headquarters and field offices to restructure and fortify the HR with the ultimate aim of achieving the constitutional duties.

1. STANDARDIZATION OF SANCTIONED POSTS

• CATEGORIZATION OF DISTRICTS AND STAFF STRENGTH:

For the first time in the ECP’s history a categorization of districts was made on the basis of number of constituencies of National Assembly and Provincial Assemblies. Each Regional Election Commissioner (REC) and District Election Commissioner (DEC) was provided with staff according to the workload and categorization of the districts as per below mentioned details:

Sl.No.	Districts	No. of National Assembly Constituencies	Uniformly allocated Staff
1	Category-A	04 or more	14/16 ( including 2 Officers)
2	Category-B	02 or 03	13/14( including 2 Officers)
3	Category-C	01 NA	12/13( including 2 Officers)

 

• STAFF STRENGTH OF REC OFFICES:

Sl.No.	Post	Uniformly allocated Staff
1.	Officers	04
2.	Officials	13
Total:		17   *

 

*For better representation of ECP at legal fora, 01 AD (law) and 2 support staff have been additionally provided to the REC offices, where the benches of High Courts exist.

To extend IT support to the field offices, posts of Assistant Director (IT) (BS-17) were created at divisional level supported by a Data Entry Operator. Besides the creation of posts of Deputy Assistant Director (Accounts) (BS-16) for proper account maintenance.

 

1. EFFECT OF RATIONALIZATION IN THE PROVINCES:

First Phase of Rationalization

During the first phase of rationalization of HR in Punjab province, 65 posts of officers and officials were created at Provincial HQs and 71 at field offices. Second phase of rationalization was completed in November, 2021 wherein, 86 posts of officers and officials were created at field offices. 59 surplus posts of staff at Regional and District level were adjusted in different field offices in view of the deficiency of staff. Furthermore, 39 redundant ones were abolished from field offices. 

During the rationalization of HR in Sindh province, 40 posts of officers and officials were created at Provincial HQs and 111 at field offices. Besides, adjusting 10 according to the workload within the field offices. Whereas, 56 redundant posts from field offices were abolished.

In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, 19 posts of officers and officials were created
at Provincial HQ and 143 at field offices. Besides, 22 staff positions were got adjusted. Furthermore, 22 redundant ones from Provincial HQ & field offices were abolished.

Furthermore, in Balochistan Province 22 posts of officers and officials were created at Provincial HQ and 172 at field offices. Whereas, 25 posts of officials from field offices were abolished and 03 were adjusted as per requirement.

Second Phase of Rationalization

In Punjab province, 07 posts were created in office of PEC, Punjab whereas,
11 posts were abolished and 06 posts were re-designated.

12 posts were created in office of PEC, Sindh, whereas, 03 posts were abolished and 05 posts were re-designated. Moreover, 01 post was downgraded.

15 posts were created in office of PEC, KP including field offices, whereas, 01 post was abolished and 05 posts were re-designated.

13 posts were created in office of PEC, Balochistan including field offices, whereas, 09 posts were abolished and 06 posts were re-designated.

Accordingly, the detail of present sanctioned posts is appended below:

Province	Headquarter / Field Offices	Sanctioned strength prior to Rationalization	Sanctioned strength after Rationalization [First phase]	Existing strength as on September, 2025
Punjab	Headquarters	111	176	188
	Field Offices	672	790	890
Sindh	Headquarters	113	153	155
	Field Offices	469	524	528
KP	Headquarters	120	137	148
	Field Offices	436	559	576
Balochistan	Headquarters	91	113	128
	Field Offices	398	545	572
Total:		2410	2997	3185

Note: 968 posts have been created since 2020 till date.

1. BENEFITS OF REVIEW AND RATIONALIZATION:

Total strength of Election Commission of Pakistan:

           Below is the rationalized strength of ECP:

Offices	Headquarter	Division	District	Total
ECP Sectt.	568	-	-	568
Punjab	188	178	712	1078
Sindh	155	126	402	683
KP	148	129	447	724
Balochistan	128	139	433	700
Total	1187	572	1994	3753

 

1. The process of review and rationalization has clearly resulted in a demarcation of mandate with the officers/officials as against previous setup where there were overlapping functions and consequently confusion.
2. 1229 posts have been created from BS-21 & below including few MP positions to rationalize HR across the country, for various electoral activities as per constitutional obligation of ECP.

• To reduce burden on the national ex-chequer, 250 posts were abolished being redundant having no further utility.

1. The sanctioned strength of ECP has accordingly been worked up from 2774 to 3753 with clear job descriptions to distribute the workload due to added functions of Local Government Elections for PF, IT and Law Wings, which have been revamped and strengthened in accordance with day to day functions.

 

1. OVERALL IMPACT OF REVIEW AND RATIONALIZATION:

1. The Establishment Wing has been transformed into a dynamic Human Resource Wing on corporate lines emerging as a facilitative career oriented entity rather than a restrictive and conservative one.
2. A fully functional Directorate for CEC has been established catering to efficient functioning and speedy disposal of matters.

• A modern, digitized Political Finance Wing re-organized with induction of highly qualified officers and staff having specialized expertise.

1. Budget and Accounts under Political Finance Wing has also been expanded by creation of 36 new posts of Deputy Assistant Directors (Accounts)(BS-16) in field offices to conduct the internal audit functions and ensure transparency at grass root level.
2. IT support has been extended to the field offices, foreseeing the anticipated enhanced digital functions by creation of the posts of Assistant Directors (IT) and Data Entry Operators.
3. A dedicated Project Management Unit has been setup by hiring services of qualified professionals in MP scales with specialized developers for the development and implementation of IT related projects and to keep the operation side distinct from the policy side.

• A fully functional Development Section established with professional outreach to field offices for high paced infrastructure development and transformation into a modern forward-looking corporate organization which would ordinarily have taken long time to be operative.
• A responsive and facilitative Administration Wing.

1. A Human Resource Wing with distinct operations through creating two (02) new sections viz. Discipline Litigation and Career Planning (DL&CP) and Human Resource Management System (HRMS) providing digital interface for public convenience.
2. For strengthening and to reinforce Law Wing, Director (Law) (BS-19) and Legal Consultant at the Secretariat and Assistant Directors (Law) (BS-17) at divisional level were appointed for better representation of ECP at different legal fora.
3. A professionally equipped Media Coordination and Outreach Wing(MCO) with a modern outlook with added HR at ECP Secretariat and Provincial Headquarters.

• A transformed digitized Monitoring & Evaluation Wing with a modern Election Monitoring Control Centre (EMCC).
• A well-coordinated and dynamic Elections Wing.
• A strengthened Local Government Elections Wing.

1. An expanded modern Gender and Social Inclusion Wing catering to inclusiveness of both gender and other marginalized groups [Differently abled, transgender, minorities].

• A progressive evaluation based Training, Research and Evaluation Wing
• A strengthened Electoral Rolls Wing with enhanced outreach.
• A Modernized Information Technology Wing reorganized into Policy and Operations side distinctly.
• Strengthening of PEC, REC and DEC offices following a standardization approach.

 

CAREER Advancement 

Career advancement is integral to an effective human resource management strategy that mutually benefits the organization viz-a-viz its employees. Legitimate expectancy of officers for promotion had suffered for long, due to delayed conduct of meetings of Departmental Promotion/Selection Committees. The method of conduct of DPCs/DSCs was further refined by holding periodic meetings regularly and by evaluating officers according to their performance on merit, particularly focusing on the pen picture of the training reports rather on the basis of seniority-cum-fitness only. Merit based promotions were ensured to uplift the organization and to remove dead wood. A record number of 550 promotions were made since 2020 to higher grades by recognizing their hard work, dedication and commitment, keeping merit first approach.

Sl. #	BPS	ECP Sectt.	Punjab	Sindh	KP	Balochistan	Total
1	BS-21	05	-	-	-	-	05
2	BS-20	17	-	-	-	-	17
3	BS-19	32	-	-	-	-	32
4	BS-18	107	-	-	-	-	107
5	BS-17	101	-	-	-	-	101
6	BS-16	04	07	05	03	06	25
7	BS-15	14	37	21	15	21	108
8	BS-13	18	36	06	09	17	86
9	BS-11	10	14	06	14	17	61
10	BS-05	06	-	01	-	01	08
Total:		314	94	39	41	62	550

 

Where regular promotion prospects were observed to be limited, time scale / upgradation to higher scales were granted to 1893 employees from BS-20 & below as per below mentioned detail:

Sl. No.	Name of Post	No. of Officers & Officials
1	Director General (G&SI) (BS-21)	01
2	Deputy Director (MCO) (BS-18)	02
3	Senior Librarian/Dy. Director (Library) (BS-18)	01
4	Senior Personal Assistant (BS-17)	03
5	Senior Assistant (BS-16)	168
6	Data Processing Supervisor (BS-16)	01
7	Junior Personal Assistant (BS-15)	55
8	Data Entry Operators (BS-15)	260
9	Hardware Technician (BS-14)	01
10	Junior Assistant (BS-13)	198
11	Sub Assistant (BS-11)	257
12	Security Camera/SMO (BS-09)	02
13	Staff Car Drivers (BS-07)	198
14	Duplicate Machine Operator (BS-07)	01
15	Dispatch Rider (BS-07)	36
16	Daftry (BS-06/07)	10
17	Quasid (BS-05/06)	06
18	Naib Quasid (BS-04/05)	396
19	Cook (BS-05)	01
20	Mali (BS-04)	12
21	Chowkidar (BS-04)	271
22	Sweeper (BS-04)	13
23	Farash (BS-04)	01
Total:		1894

 

RECRUITMENT

The process of filling of vacant posts of officials was halted since 2019 and official business was suffering for which induction of fresh blood was imperative for smooth functioning of the organization. For the purpose of recruitment and to ensure merit and transparency, ECP introduced the modern technology of Optical Mark Recognition (OMR), which substantially reduced human intervention in the marking of papers of candidates. Departmental Selection Committees (DSCs) meetings were held for the regular cadre and technical cadre to induct fresh intake of competent human resource resulting in transparent and merit based recruitments of 1325 employees comprising 177 BS-17 & above officers including MP scales & competitive market based pay packages.

1. RECRUITMENT OF ERSTWHILE ELECTION OFFICERS NOW ASSISTANT ELECTION COMMISSIONERS (BS-17):

           The process of recruitment upon 77 posts of Election Officers across the country could not be held since 2018. The Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC) was requested for holding the examination but it could not materialize. Consequently, all phases of the examination were viably conducted by the ECP. The Election Commission of Pakistan advertised 77 posts of Election Officers on 29^th April, 2020 inviting therein submission of applications from eligible candidates via Online Recruitment System (ORS), followed by dispatch of hard copies of applications. A total number of 125,022 applications were received via ORS. The applications received via ORS were scrutinized on the basis of eligibility criteria delineated in the advertisement.

           Resultantly, 104,596 number of candidates became eligible for preliminary MCQs based examination which was conducted at 216 designated examination centers on
7^th March, 2021. The ORS System as well as OMR Scanners and Bar Coded Answer Sheets were also introduced for the first time which subsequently reduced human intervention in the marking of papers. 395 candidates were found eligible to meet the threshold marks set for shortlisting of candidates for the next phase of English Essay writing examination. These 395 candidates were shortlisted and called for descriptive English Essay writing examination.

           381 candidates appeared in the descriptive Essay Writing Examination and the same were called for the interview. On the basis of overall assessment of candidates and aggregate marks obtained by the aspirants, the DSC recommended 77 candidates for appointment as Election Officer (BS-17).

           It is also apt to underscore that multiple Monitoring Teams were designated/deputed in order to counteract any potential influences that could undermine the recruitment process. Adherence to the principles of meritocracy and transparency were strictly ensured. After induction of a batch of 77 EOs, a comprehensive plan for imparting training to the newly appointed officers was devised. The officers experienced state of the art four months multidisciplinary Pre-Service Training.

1. RECRUITMENTS MADE:

The detail of recruitment made since 2020 is tabulated below:-

S #	Grade	ECP Sectt	Punjab	Sindh	KP	Balochistan	Total
1	MP-I	2	-	-	-	-	2
2	MP-II	1	-	-	-	-	1
3	MP-III	1	-	-	-	-	1
4	BS-20	2	-	-	-	-	2
5	BS-19	2	-	-	-	-	2
6	BS-18	8	-	-	-	-	8
7	BS-17	154	-	-	-	-	154
8	BS-16	44	01	-	-	-	45
9	BS-15	10	11	12	2	12	47
10	BS-14	46	115	63	65	45	334
11	BS-13	18	33	18	4	16	89
12	BS-11	45	72	43	35	54	249
13	BS-09	01	-	-	-	-	01
14	BS-05	11	30	13	09	17	80
15	BS-03	1	-	-	-	-	1
16	BS-02	41	83	61	75	82	342
17	Project Posts / No Scale	8	-	-	-	-	8
Total:		395	345	210	190	226	1366

 

1. KP & SINDH RECRUITMENT SCANDALS DEALT FIRMLY

          

The cognizance of illegal appointments in offices of PECs, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Sindh was taken up by the Commission, as the appointments of individuals were made in violation of rules and procedures, based on nepotism/favoritism. These landmark cases were diligently pursued at FST, Islamabad, Karachi and then the Supreme Court of Pakistan. Through meticulous legal follow-up and compelling evidence, the ECP displayed its firm principled stance against irregularities and favoritism in recruitment practices. The Supreme Court's decision in favor of the ECP in the matter of recruitments in PECs Sindh and KP offices not only invalidated the illegal appointments but also reinforced the organization’s role as a custodian of merit and institutional integrity. This has sent a potent message about the ECP’s commitment in upholding fairness and ensuring that all appointments should be made strictly in accordance with law, promoting trust and accountability.

 

Human Resource Management System

Human Resource Management System (HRMS) provides means of acquiring, storing and analyzing the personal information of ECP’s employees, and creates a seamless end-to-end process for the management of employees’ personal data for prompt decision making. HRMS has been developed to facilitate the HR Wing for conducting these operations both at the Secretariat level as well as in offices of its Provincial Election Commissioners.

           Adoption of HRMS enables ECP to maintain:-

1. Data of former & in service employees.
2. Service History of the employee available on one click.

• Service profile and service card through QR Code.

1. Record of Performance Evaluation Reports.
2. Biometric Attendance linked for better controlled punctuality.
3. Issuance of appointment letters for newly recruited employees.

• Progress/history of disciplinary proceedings and court cases.
• Family Card for medical facility.

1. Record of leaves.

 

DISCIPLINE & LITIGATION

 

Discipline, Litigation and Career Planning (DL&CP) Branch has been exclusively  established under the HR Wing for timely resolution of disciplinary matters deterring inappropriate behavior & misconduct and reinforcement of a culture of civility, transparency and responsibility among employees. In the past, disciplinary proceedings within the organization faced significant delays, leading to inefficiencies and pendency of large number of unresolved cases. It also signalled to the employees that there was no accountability and retribution for their misdeeds. The old culture has now been changed where efficient are rewarded and inefficiency and corruption does not find a foothold in ECP.  

 

1. DISCIPLINARY PROCEEDINGS:

 

           To ensure the timely completion of disciplinary proceedings, the Commission initiated holding regular meetings. These meetings are conducted on monthly basis, both internally and with Provincial Election Commissioners (PECs) via video link under the chairmanship of Chief Election Commissioner which serve to review updates on ongoing disciplinary cases and to ensure proper legal follow-up in the Federal Service Tribunals and High Courts. This structured and well-coordinated approach reinforces accountability, enhances coordination, and facilitates the effective resolution of cases. Additionally, PEC offices submit progress reports regularly, providing updates on the status of disciplinary and court cases. This consistent reporting ensures prompt redressal and decision making effectively. These improvements reflect the organization’s commitment in maintaining discipline, enhancing accountability, and fostering a culture of operational excellence.
The detail of disciplinary proceedings and status thereof since 2020 is as below:

 

Category	Total Proceedings initiated	Penalties Imposed	Exonerated
Disciplinary Proceedings against ECP Officers & Officials	295	214	81
Disciplinary Proceedings against Election Officials from other Departments	20	2	18

 

1. COURT CASES RELATED TO SERVICE MATTERS:

           In the past, court cases pertaining to service matters were not being properly pursued and pleaded which caused delay in timely disposal of cases. To address the issue, a more structured approach was adopted by the Commission to streamline and pursue the court cases in an effective manner. The assignment was undertaken by the DL&CP Branch under Human Resource Wing in cooperation with the Law Wing.

           It was decided that all cases filed in Federal Service Tribunal, High Courts and Supreme Court be followed-up jointly by the officers of HR and Law Wing alongwith designated Counsels. Similarly, at provincial headquarters, respective officers of Law Wing and Establishment Wing were directed to attend the court hearings jointly. Regular updates and briefings on these cases at the level of Secretary and monthly review by Chief Election Commissioner have strengthened strong oversight of ongoing litigation to the logical conclusion. Provincial Election Commissioners (PECs) are also required to submit progress reports on court cases, after each hearing, ensuring that the Commission remains informed of the status of all legal proceedings and can provide necessary input when required. The detail of achievements with regard to cases of service matters is as under:-

 

Total Court Cases defended:           151

Decisions in favor of ECP:           121

Other Decisions:                         30