The federal government has cancelled all No Objection Certificates (NOCs) and special permissions previously granted to civil servants for private businesses, outside employment and media-related activities.
The Establishment Division has withdrawn permissions issued to civil servants under Rules 6, 16, 18, 20, 21 and 22 of the Government Servants (Conduct) Rules, 1964. The decision affects officers belonging to federal service groups, including the Pakistan Administrative Service (PAS), Police Service of Pakistan (PSP), Secretariat Group (SG) and Office Management Group (OMG).
The Establishment Division has directed federal secretaries, provincial chief secretaries, inspectors general of police and heads of departments to ensure compliance with the new policy. Officials who are currently involved in any private work, business, employment or other activities on the basis of previously issued permissions will now have to submit fresh applications under the newly introduced Civil Servants (Conduct) Rules, 2026.
The move effectively requires bureaucrats to re-establish their eligibility for such activities instead of relying on NOCs or permissions issued under the previous framework. The development comes as the government tightens rules governing the conduct of civil servants. Separately, Pakistan has recently introduced tighter controls on media activities, including new requirements for journalists working for foreign media to obtain clearance before reporting outside Islamabad, Karachi and Lahore.
The latest decision is therefore likely to have a significant impact on senior bureaucrats who have previously received government approval to pursue private business, employment or media-related activities alongside their official responsibilities.
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