Unfortunately, the sad story of favoritism, nepotism, and above all turning of the civil service into a lap dog still goes on in a country which is on the verge of institutional and systematic decay. This time the proposal is the reforms in civil service to favor political appointees. Interestingly, it is the Secretariat Group, which is being targeted again and a summary has been forwarded to the Establishment Division and the scheme will allow inductions in senior grades, BPS-19 and BPS-20, from the provinces and other occupational groups, primarily to allow swift promotions to politically backed officers of other services. The Balochistan chief minister had asserted that officers from Balochistan province should be given quota in the civil services under the Aghaz-e-Haqooq-e-Balochistan Package to minimise the disappointment, sense of marginalization and frustration among the people of the province. Using the Balochistans request as a pretext, it has been decided to allow inductions into the Secretariat Group against the posts of deputy secretaries and joint secretaries from all the provinces and other occupational groups as well. But the fact can hardly be exaggerated that there is no mention of induction into the Secretariat Group alone in the Aghaz-e-Haqooq-e Balochistan package. The 10 percent vacancies of deputy secretaries (BS-19) in the SG may be reserved for induction of regular BS-19 civil servants of all the four provincial governments, the AJK and Gilgit Baltistan and persons in BS-19/equivalent in the service of its attached departments, autonomous bodies/semi autonomous bodies/corporations on the basis of merit. The additional 10 percent vacancies of DS (BS-19) and JS (BPS-20) in the Secretariat Group may also be reserved for induction of BS-19 regular officers of all the Federal Occupational groups/cadres. The point of concern is that the quotas are not being reserved for any administrative purposes but to shower political favours on the favourite ones. SUMMER NOOR, Islamabad, October 20.