Imran Khan arrives to attend an event in Islamabad. File

Tariq Butt, Correspondent

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has said the government is introducing a new system of “reward and punishment” under which civil servants would not be transferred but sacked if found involved in corruption and irregularities.

"We will not transfer a corrupt bureaucrat but will sack him,” the prime minister said while addressing a ceremony held on completion of two years of Pakistan Citizen Portal.

The event was attended by federal ministers, bureaucrats, senior officers and media representatives.

Imran Khan (3rd R) attends an event to mark two years of Pakistan Citizen Portal's performance.

The prime minister expressed dissatisfaction over the performance of the current local governments and said a system was being introduced at the village level under which funds would be transferred directly to the councils.

"A new local government system is being introduced which will usher in a revolution. It will be implemented at the village level where people will be able to elect their representatives who will directly receive funds every year,” he added.

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"It would be the best way to solve municipal problems [at the] local government level, like pollution, waste management and sewerage systems. Across the world, these issues are resolved by the local governments.”

In major cities like Karachi and Lahore, elections will be held and a city government will be set up that will solve problems of residents, including water, sanitation and waste management.

Imran lauded Pakistan Citizen Portal for entertaining three million complaints in two years, urging people to use the forum for their empowerment as well as to hold officers accountable.

"I want more people to use it (citizen portal). We will further strengthen the portal as it is the best method for citizens to register complaints. As a prime minister, it is also easy for me to know which minister or department is working well and which bureaucrat is performing poorly,” he added.

Since its launch on Oct.28, 2018, around three million people registered themselves on the portal and reported 2.7m complaints, out of which 2.5m were resolved.

Imran said the portal would also keep the government aware of the performance of ministries and departments. He said it would make it easier to enforce carrot-and-stick policy and take decisions on promotions, incentives and even sacking of the bureaucrat as the new civil service rules provided for terminating services of the corrupt or bad performing officers.

Appreciating the performance of Prime Minister’s Delivery Unit in-charge Adil Safi and his team, Imran said the portal would change public mindset as well as their empowerment. He said Madinah state gave the very concept of people’s empowerment and public service.

The prime minister said that contrary to the colonial system or monarchy, the democratic system gave a voice to the masses and made governments answerable. The citizen portal is also a journey towards the very direction of making people know their rights, he added.