LAHORE: The journey of Khem Chand Patel, who hails from Sakrand, a town located in the Shaheed Benazirabad District of Sindh and belongs to the underprivileged Jandahro (Bheel) community has emerged as a powerful testament to how targeted state interventions and institutional support can transform lives, as he qualified the CSS Examination 2025 and joined the Police Service of Pakistan (PSP).
Coming from a humble and economically constrained family background in interior Sindh, Khem Chand Patel’s path to success was marked by persistent hardship, limited access to quality education resources and a lack of structured guidance challenges common among aspirants from marginalised communities.
Despite these constraints, he remained determined to pursue a career in the civil services, a goal he said often seemed distant due to systemic barriers and the absence of mentorship opportunities in his native area.
His fortunes changed with his inclusion in the National Outreach Programme (NOP) for minority CSS aspirants, an initiative launched in the fiscal year 2025-26 by the federal government and implemented by the Civil Services Academy (CSA) with active support from provincial governments.
Under the programme, Khem Chand was among two batches of 42 candidates each selected from across Pakistan to undergo a one-month orientation at the CSA. The training focused on academic strengthening, analytical skills and mentorship, equipping participants with tools to compete effectively in the country’s most competitive examination.
Recalling his experience with Daily Jang, Khem Chand Patel credited the CSA with playing a defining role in his success. “The Academy offered genuine guidance, academic sincerity and a clear sense of direction,” he said, noting that the structured environment helped him transition from unorganised preparation to a focused and strategic approach.
He highlighted that continuous evaluation and detailed feedback by CSA faculty enabled him to identify his weaknesses and steadily improve, while structured note making techniques introduced during the programme allowed him to organise his studies more effectively.
Equally significant, he said, were the academy’s interactive sessions and engagements with toppers and successful candidates, which provided practical insights, clarity and sustained motivation throughout his preparation journey.
Khem Chand also pointed to the importance of mentorship, saying that the strong mentor-mentee relationship cultivated at the CSA helped him maintain confidence and direction despite the pressures of the examination process.
Officials described his success as closely linked to the objectives of the National Outreach Programme, which seeks to enhance inclusion and representation of minority and underrepresented communities in Pakistan’s civil services through coordinated federal and provincial efforts.
CSA Director General Farhan Aziz Khawaja termed the initiative a strategic step towards ensuring diversity and equal opportunity, noting that outcomes such as Khem Chand Patel’s induction into PSP and other academic achievements by participants reflected its effectiveness.
Dr Syed Shabbir Akbar Zaidi, Director (Capacity Building) and designer of the programme, said structured mentorship, continuous assessment and targeted academic support remained central to its success, adding that the academy was committed to creating an enabling environment for talented individuals regardless of their socio-economic background.
Khem Chand emphasised that such initiatives were critical for candidates from underprivileged families like his own, where access to quality preparation resources is often limited. “Support systems like these can truly transform lives,” he said, adding that in his case, they turned a distant aspiration into a tangible achievement.
The programme’s impact is also reflected in the success of other participants. Haseeb Sardar, another candidate, has secured admission along with a scholarship at the Harvard Kennedy School, underscoring the initiative’s potential to produce high achievers at both national and international levels.
Building on these outcomes, officials said the CSA is awaiting approval to expand the outreach programme to CSS aspirants from Balochistan, while proposals are also under consideration to extend similar opportunities to candidates supported by the Workers Welfare Fund.
Khem Chand’s achievement, rooted in his modest upbringing in Sakrand and shaped by family struggles and resilience, stands as a compelling example of how inclusive policies, when effectively implemented, can open pathways to excellence in Pakistan’s civil services.
