Ibrahim Arbab

Assistant Commissioner in Model Town, Lahore

Compiled from 1 recorded interview. Every statement below is drawn from the passage cited beside it.

Ibrahim Arbab is an Assistant Commissioner (AC) in the civil service, posted as AC Model Town in Lahore. His full name is Muhammad Ibrahim Arbab. He sat the CSS exam in 2016 and passed on his first attempt. He earlier served for around two years as AC City Hyderabad.

Early life and background

Arbab grew up in Peshawar, where he attended Beaconhouse school. His father is retired but still works as an advisor to the Prime Minister. [1]

Career

Arbab considered the CSS exam because he saw his father serving in the civil service. He sat the exam in 2016, saying it would be the best retirement gift for his father. He passed on his first attempt and joined the civil service the month after his father retired. [1]

He says his cousins were already calling him AC sahab before he sat the exam. He also says people claimed he took the CSS exam in his own drawing room, and that it feels unfair when friends and batchmates gossip. [1]

Hyderabad

After his UT period ended, Arbab decided to move to Hyderabad. He was posted as AC City Hyderabad and served there for around two years. He calls his time in Hyderabad probably the best two years of his life. [1]

He says the people of Hyderabad were amazing and that he had very good bosses and a very good team. He says people there appreciated effort so much that he wanted to work harder. He describes Hyderabad as a developed city that gets less attention because it sits beside Karachi. [1]

Model Town, Lahore

Arbab is posted as AC Model Town in Lahore. He says Tehsil Model Town covers most of Lahore's posh areas, including Gulberg, Main Boulevard, Jail Road and Garden Town. He says his tehsil runs from Ichhra Market to the Kasur border, and that Greater Lahore has one DC and five ACs. [1]

He says there are no real weekends for field officers in big metropolitan cities, and that he comes home seven days a week, not before 9 PM. He says he is currently in the field, handling complaints. He notes a debate on dividing Lahore, since critics say it is too big for one administration. [1]

Role of an Assistant Commissioner

Arbab says the basic role of an AC is revenue, and that an AC is the sub-divisional collector. He says a sub-division is a tehsil, called a taluka in Sindh. Land revenue matters run through the AC office, which he calls the main AC job description. He says the role is mostly supervisory. [1]

He says ACs act as price control magistrates and check the prices of essential items. He says he must check health teams every day, or his boss will reprimand him. He says his role now includes being in charge of vaccination centres and the vaccination campaign. He adds that an officer who does not do this will be transferred or get a bad ACR from his senior. [1]

He estimates civil servants work 12 to 14 hours a day, wherever they are posted. He says ACs represent the government and are accessible to the public for complaints. [1]

Postings and career path

Arbab says his tenure in a posting is not fixed and depends on performance. He says a posting also ends when the officer is promoted, and that there are no set criteria for how long a posting lasts. [1]

He says CSS officers progress through grades faster than provincial service officers and spend only about three years in grade 17. He says grade 18 officers can be Additional Deputy Commissioners, or DCs in smaller Sindh or KP districts. He adds that officers can move to ministry posts such as Deputy Secretary or PSO to a minister. [1]

He says DMG officers are not tied to one line of work and can go anywhere. They can direct projects for two to three years before returning as a DC. He says the provincial and CSS systems differ mainly in where officers can be posted, and that chief secretaries are always CSS officers. [1]

He says the academy teaches officers how to be administrative heads, handle people and solve issues. He says CSS officers receive general training and learn on the job. He expects to be in a ministry policy-making role near the end of his career. [1]

Views

Arbab says civil servants serve a lot, more than people expect. He says crime is not an administrative officer's domain and belongs to the police. He says the DMG group once had much more authority, now delegated to other departments, and that officers must improvise and find workarounds because their authority is less but expectations remain. He adds that officers now have to improvise because times have changed. [1]

He says mentors can teach principles, but officers must work out how to do the job, and that officers learn only by applying themselves in the field. He says civil service requires officers who know what to do, when to do it, and what not to do. He argues specialists are not feasible in administrative service because the job description is undefined. He says new recruits are well equipped but need proper training. [1]

On postings, he says they are not down to luck and must be pursued. He says postings depend on contacts as well as merit, and that it is always better to serve in the field early in one's career. He says officers with family commitments would prefer a ministry to the field. [1]

He says social media is a great platform for complaint resolution. He says people should give civil servants room to project their work online. He names Hamza Shafqaat as a good example in the bureaucracy and says Hamza Shafqaat is reorienting the role of the DC. [1]

He says Sukkur is now probably five or six hours from Multan, and that road connectivity is very important. He says better infrastructure draws more people to live in a place. He says a place's image improves only when people go there, and that listening to stories alone can never improve it. [1]

On city growth, he says vertical growth needs water, sewerage and drainage systems planned in advance. He argues horizontal expansion is more feasible for developing countries. [1]

He wishes that by 2050 Pakistan will have settled its issues with its neighbours. He says the economy is the most important issue for Pakistan. He hopes all provinces will be well connected, and that all Pakistanis will feel they are one, with no one neglected. [1]

Personal life

Arbab describes himself as a family-oriented person. He names his father as one of the bureaucrats he looks up to. He did not choose Foreign Service because he wanted to stay with his parents, though he says he might have chosen it in another life. [1]

Timeline

2016
Sat the CSS exam[1]

Appearances

DateTitleWhere
2021-09-08 Do civil servants really serve? An AC answers honestly Thought Behind Things

Frequently asked questions

Who is Ibrahim Arbab?

Ibrahim Arbab is an Assistant Commissioner (AC) in the civil service. His full name is Muhammad Ibrahim Arbab. He is posted as AC Model Town in Lahore.[1]

What does Ibrahim Arbab do?

Ibrahim Arbab is an Assistant Commissioner posted in Model Town, Lahore. He says he is currently in the field, handling complaints. He also checks health teams, and his role now includes vaccination centres and the vaccination campaign.[1]

Where did Ibrahim Arbab study?

Ibrahim Arbab completed his O levels at Beaconhouse in Peshawar. He then moved to Islamabad and completed his A levels at the Beaconhouse Margalla campus.[1]

How did Ibrahim Arbab join the civil service?

Ibrahim Arbab sat the CSS exam in 2016, saying it would be the best retirement gift for his father. He passed on his first attempt. He joined the civil service the month after his father retired.[1]

Where has Ibrahim Arbab been posted?

Ibrahim Arbab was posted as AC City Hyderabad and served there for around two years. He is now posted as AC Model Town in Lahore.[1]

What does an Assistant Commissioner do, according to Ibrahim Arbab?

Ibrahim Arbab says the basic role of an AC is revenue, and that an AC is the sub-divisional collector. He says ACs also act as price control magistrates and check the prices of essential items. He describes the role as mostly supervisory.[1]

References

  1. Do civil servants really serve? An AC answers honestly . Thought Behind Things , 2021-09-08.
Show the source passages (88 statements)
  1. His full name is Muhammad Ibrahim Arbab. Today's Guest: Muhammad Ibrahim Arbab
  2. He is an Assistant Commissioner (AC) in the civil service. Do Civil Servants Really Serve The People? Ft. AC Ibrahim Arbab
  3. He is posted as AC Model Town in Lahore. AC Model Town Lahore, Ibrahim Arbab sahab
  4. He grew up in Peshawar, where he attended Beaconhouse school. I was in Peshawar when I grew up. My schooling was in Peshawar from Beaconhouse.
  5. He completed his O levels at Beaconhouse in Peshawar. My schooling was in Peshawar from Beaconhouse. I did my O levels over there
  6. He moved to Islamabad and completed his A levels at Beaconhouse Margalla campus. I moved to Islamabad and did my A levels in Beaconhouse Margalla campus.
  7. After his BS, he wanted to do a Masters, but said his father was at the end of his career. I actually wanted to do Masters after my BS, but as I told you that my father was at the end of his career
  8. He plans to do a Masters degree. I'll definitely go for Masters.
  9. He describes himself as a family-oriented person. I'm a family-oriented person.
  10. His father is retired but still works as an advisor to the Prime Minister. He is retired but he is still working. He is advisor to PM.
  11. He considered the CSS exam because he saw his father serving in the civil service. it was in my mind that I should give CSS a try because I would see my dad, he's, he already also was in the service
  12. He sat the CSS exam in 2016, saying it would be the best retirement gift for his father. So I had a chance to give the exam in 2016, so I said why not? It will be like the best retirement gift for him.
  13. He passed the CSS exam on his first attempt. maine pehla attempt de diya and I got through
  14. He joined the civil service the month after his father retired. So the month he retired, the next month I got into the service.
  15. Before he sat the exam, his cousins were already calling him AC sahab. maine abhi exam bhi nahi diya tha and my cousins were calling me AC sahab
  16. He says it feels unfair when friends and batchmates gossip. But when your own friends kind of, you know, gossip around and your own batchmates, you know, you do feel ke it's unfair.
  17. He says people claimed he took the CSS exam in his own drawing room. They said ke isne exam apne drawing room mein diya hai CSS ka
  18. After his UT period ended, he decided to move to Hyderabad. after my UT ship ended, I decided to move to Hyderabad
  19. He was posted as AC City Hyderabad. luckily I got the posting as AC City Hyderabad
  20. He served in Hyderabad for around two years. I was there for around two years
  21. He calls his time in Hyderabad probably the best two years of his life. probably the best two years of my life that I spent there
  22. He says the people of Hyderabad were amazing. So the people were just amazing and the experience was also very good.
  23. He says he had very good bosses and a very good team in Hyderabad. I had very good bosses there, I had a very good team.
  24. He says people in Hyderabad appreciated effort so much that he wanted to work harder. people would matlab cherish it and appreciate it so much ke mera dil karta tha ke main bahut zyada kaam karoon
  25. He describes Hyderabad as a developed city that gets less attention because it sits beside Karachi. it's a developed city by the way. People thoda sa neglected hai kyunki woh Karachi ke saath hai.
  26. He says Sukkur is now probably five or six hours from Multan. Sukkur is like Multan se probably five or six hours now
  27. He says road connectivity is very important. So road connectivity is very important.
  28. He says better infrastructure draws more people to live in a place. jitna achha infrastructure hoga utne zyada log jo hain us jagah ko prefer karenge rehne ke liye
  29. He says a place's image improves only when people go there, and that listening to stories alone can never improve it. image tabhi behtar hoga if people go there. If you only listen to stories, it can never improve.
  30. He says the basic role of an AC is revenue, and an AC is the sub-divisional collector. But the basic role of ACs is basically revenue. They're the sub-divisional collectors.
  31. He says a sub-division is a tehsil, called a taluka in Sindh. Sub-division basically tehsil hoti hai. In Sindh it was called Taluka.
  32. He says land revenue matters run through the AC office, which is the main AC job description. Everything happens through the AC office. So that is basically the main job description hai AC ki.
  33. He says the AC role is mostly supervisory. So mostly role of the AC is supervisory in different things.
  34. He says ACs act as price control magistrates and check the prices of essential items. We're price control magistrates. By the way, I forgot to mention that in the basic role of the ACs. We have to check the prices of essential items.
  35. He says he must check health teams every day, or his boss will reprimand him. I have to check different uh teams related to health, every day. If I don't, I get reprimanded by my boss.
  36. He says his role now includes being in charge of vaccination centres and the vaccination campaign. it has reoriented our role. We're like in charge of the vaccination centers and the different uh the vaccination campaign as well.
  37. He estimates civil servants work 12 to 14 hours a day, wherever they are posted. probably, uh 12 to 14 hours a day, every civil servant works, no matter where he's posted
  38. He says an officer who does not do this will be transferred or get a bad ACR from his senior. If he doesn't do that, he will be transferred or he will have a bad ACR from his senior.
  39. He says civil servants serve a lot, more than people expect. They actually serve a lot.
  40. He says ACs represent the government and are accessible to the public for complaints. We represent the government and we are accessible to the people.
  41. He says crime is not an administrative officer's domain; it belongs to the police. Crime is not our domain. We are administrative officers. Crime is totally the domain of police.
  42. He says Tehsil Model Town covers most of Lahore's posh areas, including Gulberg, Main Boulevard, Jail Road and Garden Town. Tehsil Model Town covers like most of the posh areas that people usually go to like Gulberg, Main Boulevard, Jail Road and all these Garden Town
  43. He says he comes home seven days a week, not before 9 PM. I come home seven days a week, not before 9 PM.
  44. He says there are no real weekends for field officers in big metropolitan cities. To there are no weekends and weekends in obviously in the big metropolitan cities obviously.
  45. He says Greater Lahore has one DC and five ACs. There is one DC and there are five ACs.
  46. He says his tehsil runs from Ichhra Market to the Kasur border. my tehsil starts from like you probably heard of Ichhra Market. Very famous. It starts from there and it goes to the border of Kasur.
  47. He notes a debate on dividing Lahore, since critics say it is too big for one administration. To there is a debate to divide Lahore. They're saying ke matlab ye this is too big for one Deputy Commissioner or one administration to handle.
  48. He says vertical growth needs water, sewerage and drainage systems planned in advance. for growing vertically, you have to have all these systems perfectly planned.
  49. He argues horizontal expansion is more feasible for developing countries. That's why in cases of like developing countries, jo horizontal expansion hai that's more feasible.
  50. He says his tenure in a posting is not fixed and depends on performance. Our tenures are not fixed. Matlab they depend on how you perform.
  51. He says a posting also ends when the officer is promoted. And secondly they depend on your promotion.
  52. He says there are no set criteria for how long a posting lasts. But generally there is no set criteria.
  53. He expects to be promoted next year in October if everything goes well. if everything goes well, to I'll be promoted next year in October
  54. He says CSS officers progress through grades faster than provincial service officers. Our progression through the career is a bit faster CSS walon ki.
  55. He says CSS officers spend only about three years in grade 17. Hamari let's suppose when we are in 17, we are only in 17 for three years.
  56. He says grade 18 officers can be Additional Deputy Commissioners, or DCs in smaller Sindh or KP districts. In 18 you can be if you want to stay in the field, you can be like an Additional Deputy Commissioner or if you go to Sindh or KP to a smaller district you can be DC as well.
  57. He says officers can move to ministry posts such as Deputy Secretary or PSO to a minister. you can be Deputy Secretary in the secretariat, in some ministry. You can be PSO to a minister
  58. He says postings are not down to luck and must be pursued. Um it is not luck, you have to try for it.
  59. He says postings depend on contacts as well as merit. To there is this thing that you have to use all your sources and all your cards to get postings. But it's also on merit.
  60. He says it is always better to serve in the field early in one's career. To it's always better in the start of your career that you are in the field.
  61. He says DMG officers are not tied to one line of work and can go anywhere. It's basically ke there is no single line of work. You can go anywhere.
  62. He says DMG officers can direct projects for two to three years before returning as a DC. You can even go to like different projects, become a director of a project, run that for two three years. Then come back as a DC
  63. He says officers with family commitments would prefer a ministry to the field. you need to give time to your family, you would preferably not go to the field
  64. He says the provincial and CSS systems differ mainly in where officers can be posted. if you get inducted through the provincial system, you cannot leave the province. And if you do CSS, you are liable to go to any province across Pakistan.
  65. He says chief secretaries are always CSS officers. jo Chief Secretaries hain wo CSS wale hi hote hain
  66. He says the DMG group once had much more authority, now delegated to other departments. they were very powerful. They used to have a lot of authority. Now it is delegated to different different departments, different allied departments.
  67. He says officers must improvise and find workarounds because their authority is less but expectations remain. Lekin expectation wahi hai. To humne na wo nahi hota koi na koi jugaad karke cheezein karni hoti hain.
  68. He says officers now have to improvise because times have changed. Things have changed so much. Ke now we have to improvise.
  69. He says mentors can teach principles, but officers must work out how to do the job. they can uh tell us about principles, they can tell us about dedication, about hard work, but how to do the job, we have to figure it out
  70. He says officers learn only by applying themselves in the field. you cannot learn unless you apply yourself on uh your work in the field.
  71. He says social media is a great platform for complaint resolution. it's a great platform na for complaint resolution.
  72. He says people should give civil servants room to project their work online. I think people should give thoda sa space to civil servants. Because if they want to project their work, I think there's no harm.
  73. He names Hamza Shafqaat as a good example in the bureaucracy. to Hamza Shafqaat is a very good example.
  74. He says Hamza Shafqaat is reorienting the role of the DC. Because he's uh you know, uh reorienting the role of the DC.
  75. He names his father as one of the bureaucrats he looks up to. Uh would you blame me if I name my father?
  76. He says new recruits are well equipped but need proper training. So I think the new lot is uh very well-equipped. But I think they just need to uh be trained properly.
  77. He says civil service requires officers who know what to do, when to do it, and what not to do. You have to know what to do and when to do, and what not to do.
  78. He says the academy teaches officers how to be administrative heads, handle people and solve issues. how to be how to be an officer, how to be an administrative head, how to work, how to deal with people, how to solve issues
  79. He says CSS officers receive general training and learn on the job. So they give us a general training ke yeh field mein experience mein aahista-aahista woh seekhte jayenge
  80. He argues specialists are not feasible in administrative service because the job description is undefined. I don't think its possible to have specialized specialists in this field, because the job description isn't defined
  81. He did not choose Foreign Service because he wanted to stay with his parents. I personally could not choose Foreign Service because my priorities were different. I wanted to stay with my parents.
  82. He says he might have chosen Foreign Service in another life. But maybe in another life, I would have chosen Foreign Service.
  83. He expects to be in a ministry policy-making role near the end of his career. I'll also be in the twilight of my career, probably, in some ministry, in uh policy-making role.
  84. He wishes that by 2050 Pakistan will have settled its issues with its neighbours. In 2050, I would I wish Pakistan has left behind abhi ke jo uske masail hain, matlab related to our neighbors
  85. He says the economy is the most important issue for Pakistan. economy is the most important thing na, Pakistan ka sabse bara masla hi yeh hai
  86. He hopes all provinces will be well connected. plus all our provi- provinces should be well-connected.
  87. He hopes all Pakistanis will feel they are one, with no one neglected. all the provinces, all the people of Pakistan should uh feel that uh they're one and nobody is neglected, they're all treated same.
  88. He says he is currently in the field, handling complaints. For instance abhi I am in the field, I am doing different things, field ke masle lo, koi complaints waghera waghera.