Our Corrupt Bureaucracy

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A couple of weeks ago, Amnesty International's survey's results happened to pass by some source and I was astonished to see the results.

Almost 77% of Pakistan's population thinks that Pakistan is still an underdeveloped country because of Corrupt leaders. only 10% thinks that bureaucracy is also corrupt. My question in this regard is that how corrupt leaders can go along alone without support from the bureaucracy? Here is a publication from The Express Tribune:

"We live in a country that is riddled with problems ranging from terrorism to corruption to economic instability and much more. It seems unfair that the poor denizens of this country also be left at the mercy of corrupt, greedy bureaucrats. Let’s just talk about our famous ‘DMG’ group here. There used to be a time when people in the DMG were promoted on merit. When the truthful were successful and the corrupt were punished. But now things have changed. The bureaucrats of today are lucky that PRODA (Public and Representative Officer Disqualification Act) does not exist today. Otherwise, none of them could have survived in service.

The provincial government most guilty of covering up the shenanigans of the bureaucracy is the Punjab government. Demoting those out of favour to the ‘OSD’ ranks is its wont. And when it is not demoting, it is promoting the undeserving to senior ranks. This, unfortunately, describes the state of affairs in the largest province of the country, which is supposed to be the best governed in Pakistan. My views of the bureaucracy were only reinforced when I recently went to see one of the much-awaited Pakistan versus Zimbabwe matches in Lahore. What I saw upset me. There were boxes reserved for our great ‘DMGs’ and their families — with waiters serving them drinks and food, while the public stood in the stands with the sun blazing down on them without any water or food. The day before, several former cricketers had been complaining about how the Pakistan Cricket Board had mistreated them by sending them only a few complementary entry passes while our ‘efficient’ civil service was being bestowed with undeserved favours.
This corrupt and ineffective bureaucracy is like poison for Pakistan. These people have prevented local government elections from taking place for years now as they know their power will be diluted if these take place. These were the people responsible for the Model Town incident. And yet, they get treated like royals. If Pakistan is to succeed, then what is needed is serious reform of our bureaucracy, which seems to be nowhere in sight."


Momin Bin Mohsin
Published in The Express Tribune, June 2nd, 2015