Any decision based on political considerations frustrates civil servants and forces them into corruption, they said with calls for a clear, transparent promotion policy.

At the workshop, "The role of civil service in improving investment climate," organised by the World Bank and Bangladesh Enterprise Institute (BEI), former cabinet secretary Mujibul Huq said the present code of conduct for promotion is outmoded and riddled with loopholes.

"If promotion is given only on the basis of fitness, politics may manipulate the fitness criteria," he said with a suggestion that promotion should be based on seniority plus fitness.

Huq proposed formation of a 'Whitley Council' with experienced and senior citizens to seek remedy if anybody gets sucked into the politicisation vortex.

Appointments on contract also create similar problems, Establishment Secretary of Pakistan government Javed Hasan Aly told The Daily Star on the sidelines of the workshop.

Aly, presenting a paper, "Civil service reform agenda", discussed various aspects of civil service in South Asian countries and suggested a long-term policy to bring reforms to civil service.

"This plan will not yield results overnight but will bring changes in the long run. The decision has to be taken now, though," he added.

Aly said an attractive compensation package should be offered on the basis of job description and responsibility, otherwise there is no chance to reduce corruption in civil service.

He said no motorway police inspectors in Pakistan are involved in corruption, as they draw more salary than a government secretary.

Presided over by former adviser to caretaker government M Hafizuddin Khan, the workshop was attended by, among others, Chairman of Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) Professor Rehman Sobhan, former finance minister AMA Muhith, former secretary Dr Masihur Rahman, BEI President and former secretary Farooq Sobhan.

The speakers sought a review and revision of the government's Official Secrets Act and underscored appointment of a spokesperson to disseminate information, if need be.

They also recommended establishment of an independent recruiting commission having constitutional obligations and comprising bureaucrats, parliamentarians and judges.