Central Superior Service (CSS) is the most privileged service in Pakistan. Students are scrutinised by passing them through a tough exam comprising written, psychological, medical tests, and interviews. The students selected for the posts of civil servants are generally claimed to be highly competent with dynamic personalities. After training in the civil services academy, these civil servants are sent to their designated positions in the bureaucracy to serve the nation. Moreover, they are highly authorised and well-protocolled officers of the state institutions. Having said that, unfortunately, most of the civil servants abuse their authority and power. Some of them even consider the general public as poor illiterate masses and themselves as their masters-reminding the time of colonial masters.
Recently, videos of two different civil servants in two different cities but in one province-Balochistan-went viral on social media. These videos clearly showed how civil servants are misusing their authorities. The arbitrary behaviour of two Assistant Commissioners demonstrates that they are poorly educated, uncivilised or in other words ‘educated ignorant.’
The first incident took place in Duki city of Balochistan where Assistant Commissioner Meeran Baloch slapped a person in a small gathering while entering the crowd in a ‘heroic’ style. The citizens, mostly businessmen and shopkeepers, were protesting peacefully about their reservations on construction work. The slap was followed by aerial firing by the security forces accompanying the AC. The people were dispersed in a hurry to avoid clashes with the security forces. The constitution of the state allows its citizens for freedom of expression and peaceful gathering. This implies the AC does not have the authority to slap people while they are demonstrating peacefully. Very clear abuse of power.
The second incident happened in the capital of Balochistan province. Assistant Commissioner Quetta city Nida Kazmi misbehaved with girl students of the Bolan University of Medical and Health Sciences (BUMHS). The girls living in the hostel of the university were kicked out of the hostel by force when they were protesting about the issues faced by the hostilities. According to sources, while talking to the female students of BUMHS the AC arrogantly said, “I am going to tell you what’s your value. there are thousands of doctors in the city, but only one AC [allegedly showing herself as master/lord] get out from here.”
It may be mentioned here peaceful protest is the constitutional right of every citizen which cannot be declined. The attitude of both the civil servants is condemnable, and action must be taken by the concerned authorities by looking into the matter and making them accountable for their actions. This must be exemplary for all the civil servants so that they may at least know they are the servants of the public.
Moral values, ethics and etiquettes are something unknown to this nation and specifically to most of the government officers
Moral values, ethics and etiquettes are something unknown to this nation and specifically to most of the government officers. Prima facie, the problem is in the lord-type mindset of the government officers but in its core, the problem lies in the education system of the country. Pakistan’s education system is designed to produce employees, not civilised people. This system keeps on emphasising the students to get good scores or grades to get good jobs. However, it fails to teach the students basic ethics and moral values. It fails to teach them how to live a good life in society. If fails to teach the students how to behave when they are on the seat of power.
Additionally, the Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC) must teach the civil servants in their training in categorical terms that they are the servants of the people, not their masters.
Conclusively, it’s very unfortunate to write that in Pakistan everyone turns into a ferocious beast when they get authorised. Several cases have been recorded when the authority has been misused by the persons in power.
They have been pressurising people through their power by considering themselves as the de facto rulers of the people. Civil servants are meant to serve the people by resolving their issues with decency, politeness, and decorum.
Therefore, they must know they are the servants of the people, not their lords. They must keep in mind that they are being paid from the hard-earned public money to facilitate and serve the people in the people’s interest.
The writer is a journalist