Daily Times

Due to the ineffectiveness of the few honest officers left in the Royal Bureaucracy of Pakistan (RBP), it is easier to deal with the corrupt. When juniors do not obey the directives of their seniors it clearly indicates an organizational collapse. Insubordination kills an organization. Instead of facilitation of the public the senior officers are now hostage to their subordinates. Not once but on several occasions I have personally experienced this state of collapse and confusion.

After completing all formalities in a case, I went to the head of the department for his final orders. He ordered in writing for the file to be put up to him and sent me to the departmental secretary, who then asked his personal assistant (PA) to escort me to the Officer Incharge of Records (OIR) where the files are kept. The OIR directed me to the clerk in charge of the section. I requested him to send the file to the chief as ordered. Even after the passage of six days the file had not been sent. Finally the chief sent his personal staff to fetch the file. When the file arrived I was asked to appear in his court on the next working day which I did. To my utter surprise my case was not included in the list of hearings, after raising hell I was accommodated at number 75. The chief heard thirty cases and retired for the day. Now the same process of locating and then putting up the file was started again.

If a senior Grade 21 officer is incapable of getting a file from a junior sub-ordinate in Grade-12/14 it clearly indicates a total state of collapse. Most civilian institutions in the country have become non-functional, they only devour the resources of the nation. The few honest employees are incapable of delivering while the dishonest call the shots. As the first generation of the country, we have experienced this decline in our life time which is indeed painful.

Most corrupt networks are a one window operation. The rates of the speed money are predetermined in most cases. While the few honest helplessly watch, the dishonest deliver results. Some people call it a blessing in disguise- otherwise the world would have come to a stop. The Royal Bureaucracy of Pakistan is a colonial legacy which was never designed to deliver. After partition in 1947, most officers had a vision to serve the people not to rule over them. The public at large was considered a customer not a beneficiary of the state apparatus. Unfortunately, the transition to freedom never took place. The colonial rules, regulations remained intact. Perhaps the only serious efforts at reforms were carried out by the Justice Cornelius Commission during the sixties. Open hearings were held at the YAMC hall on the Mall Lahore. But before its submission some findings were leaked and the entire effort was sabotaged by bureaucrats.

The elected government of Bhutto in the seventies tried to contain the out of control bureaucrats who after teaming up with the khakis in 1952 had started to dominate the country. All promotions into Grade 21, 22 were to be done by the Prime Minister himself. Through lateral entry he appointed technocrats in technical ministries. He also took away the security of tenure. Bureaucrats could now be transferred before the expiry of their term of appointment. Even today bureaucrats complain of their lack of security for their dismal performance which is only partly true. Tenure is important but only with an effective accountability mechanism in place.

After partition in 1947, most officers had a vision to serve the people not to rule over them. The public at large was considered a customer not a beneficiary of the state apparatus. Unfortunately, the transition to freedom never took place

During Zia’s time, surgical strikes were conducted against civilian institutions with appointment of half trained khakis. The khaki- baboo nexus with no political oversight created havoc with institutions. Lt. General (retired) Saeed Qadir the Minister for Communications called a meeting of the Railway Board to shame them. The Chairman and Secretary both professional Railwaymen who had given their best to the institution tendered their resignations. Since then the organization has been in the red zone. Its profitable freight business was handed over to NLC (National Logistics Cell).

While ‘Naya Pakistan’ under the leadership of the Kaptaan is moving in the direction of ‘Riyasat-e-Madina’ the administrative structure remains non-functional and a major drain on our meager resources. In addition to the perks, privileges and power the bureaucracy receives a substantial amount in speed money which is not accounted for. This system of dual liability for the public must stop. That is a major reason that no one wants to pay taxes as there is so much of indirect taxation both on and off the books.

There is a famous Punjabi song in which the wife of the ‘Patwari’ complains about the ineffectiveness of the position he holds if their child has to cry for a mango. I am sure the ‘Patwari’s Child’ is taken care of today while the nation continues to cry. How long will it take for our tears to drown the corrupt and the incompetent, who control our destiny? When I took over from where my father the Tehreek-e-Pakistan Gold Medalist had left, there were about twenty court cases mostly for course correction. He went down fighting; inspiring us to continue the crusade till Pakistan gains its much cherished freedom. Last year, I had to visit the Patwarkhana on Ravi Road. The message I got was loud and clear, administratively nothing had changed in the land of the pure in the last seven decades, ‘It is much easier to deal with the corrupt’ and get your job done instead of fighting the system for corrective mechanisms. My students are concerned about the future of Pakistan but are unwilling to fight for it, while I share their concern, I continue to resist the forces of evil that engulf us, perhaps it is the generation gap that comes in between.

The writer is Ex-Chairman Pakistan Science Foundation

Published in Daily Times, February 24^th 2019.