Interior Posting Dilemma: Merit and Mobility in Public Service in Pakistan

Abstract

The civil service in Pakistan has often been denounced as politically interfered and systematically inefficient, but the true experience of the officers during their stay in the so-called interior (non-capital) stations has not been investigated yet. This paper discusses the interior posting quandary by exploring the concept of meritocracy, mobility and politics among mid career officers within Sukkur Division. The survey of 385 BPS 16-19 officers was examined using the explanatory sequential mixed-methods design, where the PLS-SEM was engaged and 20 semi-structured interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis. Findings indicate that perceived merit is strongly associated with job satisfaction and organization commitment (H1), and frequent transfers are related to adverse workplace outcomes and high turnover intentions (H2). H3, perceived merit will mediate the relationship between frequency of transfer and turnover intention. The qualitative data indicate that interior posts are perceived as the Khudday Line (sidelining), transfer practices are perceived as politically inclined, and officers are suffering but coping pragmatically. The instability in postings undermines the organizational performance since the officers view frequent transfer as disrespect of the meritocratic principles which imply that there should be transparent processes and secure tenure.