Why do you want to join civil service? This baffling question is repeatedly asked, sometimes sardonically sometimes plainly, by both laymen sick of bureaucracy’s haughtiness and by most learned ones judging candidates’ intentions in the interview rooms. Every young guy has his own answer to this question. Some are blunt enough to speak out their hearts openly while others are smart enough to mince words and keep this secret close to their hearts. A young man*’s hankering for this covetous job gets impetus from diverse sources including his past experiences, his present observation of societal attitudes toward this job and his future plains. Admitted the fact that every aspirant may have his own reason and a very valid reason for desiring to be a part of civil service, it is a very interesting, though not so admirable, fact that people crave for civil service only for three “Pzz”: power, prestige and privilege. Let me explain my point.

At the time of inception of Pakistan, British Raj bequeathed, among others, two very important institutions to this nascent nation and, by doing this, very cunningly obstructed its journey to the complete freedom from the hateful legacy of exploitation and oppression. These two institutions namely Army and Bureaucracy were well-organized and were trained in the art of servitude by the imperialists to the extent that even after the departure of their masters they continued their legacy by one way or the other and it was their arrogance and indifference to the aspirations and problems of common man that aroused a general perception among the masses of this poor country that they are still not free and that 1947 brought only change of masters, for, before this seminal year they were being plundered by ‘Goras’ now they are being exploited by ‘Kalas’. British imperialists raised Royal Indian Army and Indian Civil Service to the lines that served their designs best. Both Army Officers and Civil Servants were trained for a single purpose of making the British occupation perpetual. Army officers, by the strength of their guns and boots, scared away all armed resistances against British occupation while bureaucrats in the name of administration exploited the resources of India and by their diverse machinations tried to inculcate it into the minds of natives that British raj was not a curse rather it was a blessing. In order to raise awe and fear among the masses for the purpose of stifling their desire for freedom, these officers were conferred immense powers and authority and were coroneted with such perks and privileges that they were looked on by natives as creatures of some other planet much superior in intellect and sagacity to them. Unfortunately, Pakistan not only inherited these institutions physically but their colonial spirit, their imperial mindset also came with them. Areas falling under the domain of Pakistan were far behind in political maturity than other regions of sub-continent hence from the day first these two institutions overwhelmed Pakistan’s political and administrative affairs. By military coups in every few years Pakistan’s political institutions were not allowed to grow and thus Army Generals with the connivance of bureaucrats ruled this hapless country most of the time and ruined it as much as they could.

Present civil service of Pakistan is a direct descendent of British Civil Service and its traditions of arrogance and narcissism and even time to time changes in its structure introduced by different governments couldn’t affect its colonial spirit. So we see in the form of our bureaucracy remnants of British raj trying to preserve the legacy of colonialism. More than 60 years have passed since we got freedom but it is so strange that our bureaucrats are still living in the pre-independence British India and their aloofness from common man rightly reminds us that we are still dwelling in an occupied land ruled by some alien race.

So, in this background when a young man aspires to join civil service he is in fact yearning for two things: an unbridled authority and a ruler-like status in the society. Desire for power in itself can not be termed as something bad for without power we are helpless even against minor snags and impediments in our lives but power for the sake of power or power to satiate one’s inflated ego can not be consented in a sovereign country. Admittedly, the ultimate aim of each individual and every nation is to accumulate more and more power but power wielded by a colonial civil servant and civil servant of a free nation must have marked differences for where the aim of former is to prolong the bondage the goal of latter should be to serve his countrymen in the best possible manner.

Power resulting from unchecked authority is what comes to mind when we come across the question why brilliant young guys still prefer civil service in spite of the fact that rapidly growing private sector is offering much better opportunities and more promising future to the energetic and ambitious young souls than the outdated civil service. Take only one aspect. Private sector is tempting young talent with such hefty salaries that a poorly paid new entrant of civil service can not even think of competing with them in monetary matters. Ironically even such lower strata of private sector as office boys and watchmen are at times earning more money than is offered to our so called elite class of newly inducted civil servants at the beginning. So monetary aspect is undoubtedly out of question as for as assessing the factors affecting young men’s preference for civil service is concerned. The only other reason already mentioned above is power and this point gets weightage when we see that when Musharaf, due to his personal jealously with the civil service, tried to undermine it by introducing so called devolution plan in which rank and class of DMG were shattered and Deputy Commissioners were turned into district head clerks dancing to the tunes of semiliterate Nazims; a large number of candidates left this hitherto favorite choice and started opting other groups like PSP which in the true sense of the word is not a part of civil service. This shift to police service amply proves the point that people prefer power to all other things.

Man is a social animal so his behavior is molded by a large number of factors most important of which is likes and dislikes of the society in which he is born and brought up. This rule is applied to a young man’s choice of profession more than on any other thing. We want to be what our society likes we don’t want to be what our society doesn’t like. As already mentioned above, during the British era bureaucracy was the real incarnation of rulers. Indian people were ruled by the English through these white-collar thugs who were mostly English but at the end some Indians were also installed to give it a local color. A general admiration associated with these prestigious bureaucrats in the heart of a worthless Indian man was so deeply entrenched that even after independence bureaucrats are still enjoying the same privileged position. This factor of highly esteemed position of civil servants in our not-yet-fully-independent society is also motivating young men to opt civil service as profession.

A young idealist may claim that he wants to join this field to serve his country. Without doubting the genuineness of his claim and without questioning his intentions I do say your claim is shallow for I have, with a heavy heart, seen a large number of people leaving such noble professions as medical and engineering and joining civil service. With what aims?? ……..To serve the country!!!!! Can’t hey serve their country in a better manner being doctors or engineers than being bureaucrats????? Surely our country needs more Doctors and Engineers than civil servants. So most of the big-bang claims of serving the motherland are actually an eyewash to hide the real intention of ruling the poor masses in the garb of bureaucracy. When a doctor or engineer leaves his profession and becomes a civil servant he is not serving his country he is serving his twisted ego.

To said all this, I can conclude, though I may be erring in this conclusion, that we are still living under the dark shadows of British raj. Our ideas and ideals are almost the same as they were in the days of occupation. Our young men are dying for power. They still try to mimic their departed British rulers not only in outlook but also in their attitudes and behaviors towards their countrymen. On this dismal picture I can add only a plea, an appeal of a weary soul to the young aspirants of CSS. Please don’t try to be rulers of this poor country. Be servant of this beloved land. We have enough of rulers, now we need earnest servants for this country teeming with courage, determination and ability to change this outmoded system.
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* By using masculine nouns/pronuns I do not intend to show any favor/discrimination for/against any gender. This use is only for convenience’s sake. Please read He/She His/Her Man/Woaman wherever they are used.


A REQUEST>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
(I am not good at expressing my ideas in English so you may find some grammatical errors even blunders in arranging different sentences. Being a novice in this field my grip over language may look miserable and you may stumble while reading incoherent sentences. Please point out all these mistakes to me. I would be thankful to you. Senior members are especially requested to help me improve my language.)