Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has ordered a comprehensive performance review of federal ministries and divisions as the government begins a detailed internal assessment of governance, policy implementation and public sector performance. The review is expected to examine the work carried out by federal institutions from February 2024 to the present and could potentially pave the way for changes within the federal cabinet. The directive follows a debate triggered by a speech delivered by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi regarding the performance of the federal government, according to The News, citing official sources.
The performance assessment will cover a broad range of federal institutions, with the Prime Minister’s Office requiring ministries and divisions to submit detailed reports according to a prescribed format. The review will include 18 ministries and divisions responsible for economic and financial affairs, along with 14 ministries dealing with law, security and administrative matters. A further nine ministries overseeing areas including social services, health and education will also be assessed. The scope of the exercise indicates that the government intends to evaluate performance across major policy and public service areas rather than limiting the assessment to economic ministries.
The review will extend beyond individual ministries to include the performance of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor Authority and the Planning Commission. The government will also assess implementation of the Annual Development Programme, the impact of economic policies and improvements made to the national census and statistical system. By including these institutions and areas, the assessment will examine both administrative performance and the implementation of major national development and economic initiatives.
Federal ministries and divisions have been instructed to provide measurable outcomes of their governance initiatives and document completed projects, the results achieved through those projects and their respective completion dates. The Prime Minister’s Office has asked ministries to provide detailed accounts of their performance against their core mandates, including progress towards policy objectives, governance reforms and measures introduced to improve public service delivery. The reports are intended to provide a documented basis for evaluating whether ministries have delivered against their assigned responsibilities during the period under review.
The performance review will also examine projects that remain pending and require ministries to explain the reasons behind delays. Officials have been directed to identify implementation challenges and provide details of corrective measures taken to address those obstacles. Ministries must also report on administrative reforms, cost saving measures and initiatives introduced to improve institutional efficiency. This component of the assessment is expected to provide the government with a clearer picture of where implementation has progressed and where institutional or administrative constraints continue to affect delivery.
A key requirement of the exercise is that performance claims must be supported by documentary evidence or other verifiable proof. The Prime Minister’s Office has warned that unsupported claims and incomplete reports will not be accepted. The requirement is intended to place greater emphasis on measurable results and evidence based reporting rather than general descriptions of activities or policy initiatives. Ministries will therefore be expected to substantiate reported achievements through relevant documentation.
The assessment will also examine the utilisation of development funds and the outcomes of public sector projects. This means that the review will consider not only whether development funds were allocated and spent but also what results were achieved through the projects financed by those resources. The approach could provide the government with information on the effectiveness of development spending and identify projects where expenditure has not produced the expected outcomes.
The review comes amid wider discussion within the federal government about institutional performance and accountability. The debate following Mohsin Naqvi’s speech has added focus to the performance of federal ministries and the government’s overall delivery. By ordering a formal review covering a period of more than two years, the prime minister has placed responsibility on ministries to provide a detailed record of their activities, results and unresolved challenges.
The exercise could also have implications for the composition of the federal cabinet. With the government assessing the performance of ministries and divisions, the findings may provide a basis for decisions regarding ministerial responsibilities and potential changes within the cabinet. However, the immediate focus remains on collecting and evaluating documented performance information from the relevant institutions.
The Prime Minister’s Office has therefore placed the responsibility on each ministry and division to provide a complete account of its performance since February 2024. The reports are expected to cover policy implementation, governance initiatives, development projects, administrative reforms, spending and outstanding issues. Through the review, the government aims to establish a documented assessment of federal performance and determine where further corrective action, institutional improvements or changes in implementation are required.
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