LAHORE: The Provincial Manage­ment Service (PMS) officers’ association has opposed the Punjab government’s decision to create 101 Additional Assistant Commissioner (AAC) posts, calling it a “mala fide move” aimed at “weakening” the PMS cadre. The association said the AAC posts were abolished decades ago and their revival was “unnecessary and unjustified”, especially after the establishment of the Punjab Enforcement and Regulatory Authority (PERA) force. The association’s executive committee meeting chaired by president Qamar Zaman Qaisrani decided that an association delegation would meet the Punjab services secretary and the additional chief secretary to explain its concerns and demands on Monday (today). “If PMSA concerns are not addressed, it will launch the first phase of protest by wearing black armbands across the province from Tuesday (tomorrow).” The association said that creating new posts would place an additional burden on the national exchequer and be seen as a direct attempt to undermine the PMS service structure. PMS officers announce protest, say decision ‘undermines’ their service structure Calculating the cost of an AAC and all 101 AACs, the association claims that one such officer would cost the government some Rs46.825 million and all 101 AACs some Rs4.729 billion at once, followed by monthly salaries and privileges. Besides salaries, the cost includes an official vehicle, supporting staff salaries, monthly budgets as well as an office building. The association also expressed serious concerns over alleged discrimination in postings and transfers, delays in promotion boards, and the appointment of junior officers to senior positions. Former administrative secretary Yawar Mehdi commented that the objective of creating AAC posts to improve public service delivery was commendable, provided these officers were empowered to deliver efficient, transparent, and citizen-centric services. However, he added that strengthening field administration should not come at the cost of weakening the civil secretariat or limiting the career progression of PMS officers. Published in Dawn, August 3rd, 2026