District Management Group

Having its roots in the former Civil Service of Pakistan (CSP), the District Management Group (DMG) despite the recent historic restructuring of power and authority in Pakistan, continues to maintain its niche of being a central and one of the most coveted Administrative service groups of the Civil Service of Pakistan albeit with a slightly changed scope and mandate. The DMG basically draws its vigor from its singular service structure having forward and backward linkages Its unique service organization, on one hand attracts the top achievers in the civil services examination to this Group, and subsequently this structure having enormous horizontal and vertical mobility chances enables the selected officers to occupy critical and leading administrative positions from the very beginning of their careers. It is again these vast horizontal mobility opportunities, which facilitate most challenging openings to the DMG officers. They usually begin careers as administrative officers of Government at sub-division level responsible for a combination of judicial, executive & administrative functions. While this career opening has changed after the separation of judiciary from executive and devolution however, the DMG officers continue to occupy core administrative assignments in sub-divisions, districts or provincial governments. At the same time the DMG officers continue to have opportunities of serving in either of the three Government levels, their secretariats, in the field or in the semi-autonomous or autonomous bodies. It is this mobility (which continues through out the service progression), which facilities the growth and grooming of the DMG officers in myriad, multiple and crosscutting fields. This career path peculiar to the DMG officers eventually facilitates their entry into the top policy making officers of the country. With the restructuring of the political & administrative authority after devolution the service structure of DMG was initially seen to be adversely impacted after the abolition of the all-powerful positions of the Assistant Commissioners, Deputy Commissioners and the Commissioners and the abolition of the executive magistracy's office. Conversely the post devolution scenario has shown that the role and the scope of the administrative cadres especially the DMG officers occupying leadership positions as District Coordinating Officers has increased manifolds. It would not be out of place to mention that in the short moment of uncertainly at the dawn of devolution, the President of Pakistan himself assured the DMG officers about their rote in the affairs of the country saying that he expects the DMG officers to be the standard bearers of devolution. In his letter addressed to each DMG officer he categorically stated that he visualizes the future role of DMG in civil society as of a public service, motivated by the highest ideals of dedication, capability and responsiveness to public needs.