Literati in civil service
I HAVE just finished reading a voluminous book, A Treatise on the Civil Service of Pakistan: The Structural-Functional History (1601-2011).
This book is an analytical study of the institution of civil services in the subcontinent.
What is more amazing is that this mammoth research work has been conducted solely by author Kiran Khurshid, a young DMG officer of 34th Common Training Programme, 2005.
According to the author’s profile, she also authored A Gazetteer by the Native and compiled A Catalogue of Revenue Estates in Sadar tehsil, Faisalabad, with site maps.
She, therefore, deserves kudos for sparing some time for research work and writing.
For some reasons, the bureaucracy is the most misunderstood institution in Pakistan and is usually portrayed as arrogant, unfriendly and inaccessible to the hoi polloi.
However, after reading the book, I feel that 96 Muslim ICS officers who opted for Pakistan in 1947 were quite energetic, capable and professional who worked hard to run the affairs of the nascent state of Pakistan and set up different institutions.
However, the successive political imbroglios resulted in general decay and incongruity, and the CSPs cannot be blamed alone.
Professional civil servants are considered a national asset the world over and they are trained to exhibit full potential in public service.
As the DMG mostly deals with the public and no governance efforts could be materialised without the officers’ involvement, they, therefore, should be given a conducive environment to act according to the law and no political infringement should hinder their lawful work.
It is a good sign that our civil servants are also turning to research writing.
It reminds me of the legacy of the giants of the legendary ICS who earned a niche in different fields because of their hard work, dedication and intellect.
Today’s civil servants should also follow such seniors because, I believe, a civil service is not a routine career but a lifetime opportunity to serve the people and the motherland with dedication.
This is the only lesson our new entrants need to learn.
QUDRAT ULLAH
Lahore Cantt
Source:
Literati in civil service | Newspaper | DAWN.COM