NEWS OF SUBSTANCE

Feudal lords in the KP bureaucracy calling the shots 

Peshawar: An appeal by the provincial civil service officers carried in the mainstream national and local newspapers on March 31, 2015 in the shape of an advertisement has brought to the fore a long simmering tug of war between various groups of federal and provincial civil servants that now appears to be assuming scandalous proportions. 

The contents of the appeal are far too serious to be taken lightly as the same take the provincial chief secretary head on. The appeal singles out the provincial chief secretary, and holds the gentleman responsible for the alleged discrimination and injustices against the officers of the provincial service. 

News doing the rounds in the morbid corridors of the civil secretariat suggest that a coordinated campaign to dislodge the chief secretary is gaining strength by the day. The chief secretary who is known to be a strict disciplinarian is said to have annoyed the provincial ministers of the ruling party merely by following the official rules of business in the conduct of the official business. 

The PTI ministers in unison with the officers of the provincial service now appear poised to launch a frontal attack against the chief secretary. Interestingly, if it could be so termed, it is the second such incident in the last less than two year period where a chief secretary is seen weathering a storm in the PTI-led government in the province. In the earlier incident the then chief secretary was unceremoniously transferred back to the federal government after he refused to do the chief minister's bidding. 

Grappling with an internecine conflict for the last nearly one and a half decade, KP is not new to such bizarre clashes of trivial personal interests where officers of various groups could be seen jockeying for key positions in the bureaucracy. Professional expertise, merit, seniority, skill and special aptitudes do not figure at all in the selection of officers for various posts, and instead political contacts and connections to the right circles are doing the trick for the overly ambitious officers.

There are a lot many things which may not be in the knowledge of the PTI Chairman Imran Khan who is seized with looking after the party affairs on a national level. But the people he has trusted with the affairs of the province with the Chairman's much trumpeted slogan of bringing in a change do not seem to have proved themselves worthy of the task. 

More seriously, PTI government in KP by appointing junior officers against senior positions seem to be committing the same mistakes of which it accused the previous provincial and federal governments. Presently quite a few of very junior officers in BS: 19 are working as full time secretaries while senior officers in BS: 20 are working on the junior positions of special secretaries. The recently appointed secretary Excise and Taxation is a very junior grade 19 officers, but due to his close connections with the chief minister he keeps making hay while the sun shines. 

Earlier the same gentleman held charge of four posts simultaneously including the charge of Secretary information, special secretary to the CM, additional secretary to the CM and project director of safe drinking water. One wonders if this is in the knowledge of the PTI watchdogs! This Universe works on the principles of division of labour, and even Divinity in its infinite wisdom employs different angels for different tasks, but in KP the policy of jacks of all trades seem to be at work.

Similarly,yet another intriguing case is of the former principal secretary to the chief minister who through share Machiavellian practices managed to appoint himself as member of the public service commission more than one year before his retirement. He is presently working as chairman of SDA. Perhaps the gentleman feared the dissolution of the government, and did not want to risk his confirmed seat in the commission which even otherwise is little more than a warehouse for the retired officers with strong connections. 

Another very interesting case is of the brother of a sitting minister. The officer is on deputation from the Account General Department, but instead of working in the related fields for which he has received training he could be seen enjoying the perks and privileges of greener pastures, changing positions at his sweet will. Similarly a close relative of a PTI leader from the federal secretariat service is also holding on to a senior position of a secretary in violation of all rules and policies.

One serious look at the way the bureaucracy functions in KP, it becomes convincingly clear that the KP bureaucracy is ruled by officers who function in the manner of feudal lords. Some officers in the bureaucracy can get any post they aspire and get away with it. The doings and misdoings of all these officers make up a voluminous dossier. 

The present government has introduced two praiseworthy legislation in the shape of Right to Information Act and Right to Public Services Act, but as things stand it would appear nothing will work till bureaucracy is revamped in such a manner where talent, capability and merit speak for themselves.