Bureaucracy Pill or Panacea A Critical Analysis of The Role of Bureaucracy in Pakistan PDF
Bureaucracy Pill or Panacea A Critical Analysis of The Role of Bureaucracy in Pakistan PDF
ABSTRACT
Pakistan came in to being on 14 august 1947 under the leadership of Quaid-e-Azam
Mohammad Ali Jinnah who became its first Governor General. It consisted of Muslim
majority areas Bengal, Punjab, N.W.F.P, the Tribal areas, Sindh and Baluchistan, these were
the parts of old British colony of the India. It was a country facing short resources for
existence, seeking security and stability to maintain its identity. As a new born country its
prime task was to develop a strong bureaucracy and political system to build a national
integrity as the founder said the foundations of your state have been laid, and it is now for
you to build. For the lack of administrative talent, political and administrative structure then
followed the legacies of the British Raj left behind. The main problem of administrative
development in the new state had to change the colonial bureaucratic practice with a new
standard but imposed a highly centralized constitutional system by the government and could
not change the old bureaucratic practice in a country which was physically and culturally
distinct. As a developing country, the focus should have had been to change new concept
from the colonial experience and the Western concept of bureaucratic as Riggs suggested for
developing countries to bring about the desired change for political and economic stability
which were fundamentals for leading a country to modernization.
Literature Review
It was argued in 18th century in France by De Gournay. Ferrel Heady (1984) stated
that here are four different sets of meanings of bureaucracy. (1) A system of rule or
governmental system in which official dominate. (2) Method of conduct the application of
General rules. (3) The past explanation is concept of bureaucracy as Efficiency or
inefficiency. Herman Finer (1945) said that the weaknesses of public bureaucrats in the
action of their responsibilities creates the illness named bureaucracy, There are corrective, but
not to the point of excellence, according to this concept bureaucracy is at best efficiency,
involving unnecessary rules and procedures, and at worst the stifling of all initiatives by
using these rules and procedures to block them; (4) bureaucracy refers to those who work in
bureaus. Historical roots of Pakistani bureaucracy under the British colonial law and traces
that the British structure of administration was established to uniform the desires of a colonial
influence. In Pakistan the system of bureaucratic rules and regulations were not combined
with much alteration at the time of freedom. The alternative to resolve the problem
immediate and making grounds for future policies the government exceeded to creating
bureaucratic control over politicians. The assumption arise that a centralized bureaucracy was
influenced by Punjab province and it created reservations among the other province that their
lack of development is due to the lesser access in decision-making at the national level and it
presume even today. The reforms of civil services in 1973 established and a new system of
common training program was compulsory at the civil services academy, Lahore. Classes
among the government servants were eliminated and change by integrated grading system
and the first batch accepted as the 1st common. Lateral entry was introduced which was
a direct risk to the bureaucrats because now political appointees would be a part of their
system. There was a clash between civil servants who were armed with extraordinary powers,
and politicians. The Chief Secretary, who was the head of the entire civil service of the
province, was buildup an enormous amount of power for the purpose of better efficiency and
coordination. The Chief Secretary was from Punjab and the civil service in the province was
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dominated by Punjabi and Urdu speaking people who had migrated from India. There was no
meeting of minds among Bureaucratic elites and created a conflict between them and it
became harmful in the political, social and institutional setting. The environment change into
differences when one considered that the politicians of Punjab were much closer to their civil
servants and military officers than the others could ever be Khalid B. Sayeed (1967). The
Punjab province felt that to counter the aspirations of the Bengali Majority and Bengalis
would obviously come to complain that their slight majority was being undermined through
the principle of equality. Charles H. Kennedy. (1987) Describes that Pakistan as a
bureaucratic state and its dominant rule in country, lobbying of the bureaucracy since the
1973 reforms. Ralph Briabanti (1967) Debates several sides of the administration it
comprises serious evidence and can be used as a reference. Heeger, Gerald A. (1977) claims
that Bureaucratic supremacy in Pakistan caused not due to supremacy of organization but
the domination of government departments by the bureaucrats. The works on bureaucracy is
mostly derived from the effort of German social scientist Max Weber in the 19th century.
Weber (1968) in his view the bureaucrat has to follow these standards: Rationality,
Specialization, political neutrality, Merit recruitment and long term career rankings.
Bureaucrat has to offer the plan for assessing the unsympathetic role to the ruling party but
ensure neutrality and the responsibilities of the bureaucrat are to enforcement actual policy as
a part of their job. The regulations give the basis for bureaucracy that to achieve goal, protect
political intervention, and urges to follow the standard of authority.
be enough to obtain him to the next level. All bureaucrats would work based on principles of
hard work and free and neutral in judgment, no benefit to be achieved from favoritism with
the
political
leaders
and
their
impartiality
also
means that
no
political incursion in recruitments of public servants the appointments are only on the basis of
merit. Political impartiality provides the sense of security to bureaucrat it is observed. The
common view is that, if public service is provided freedom to work according to law and
avoid to favoritism by the political government and intervention from any political part
that can be more effective.
Conclusion
According to the statistical bulletin of Pakistan, the population of country now has
crossed 180 million which needs restructuring of the bureaucracy, and rebuild Pakistan
through adoption of modern system of government machinery which can be used to support
popular democratic governments in implementation of their programs and bureaucracy
assures continuity of development programs, etc. National consideration, security, and
economic development are the most important objectives for any nation- state in the third
word. Literally speaking, Pakistans history is a chronicle of bureaucratic mismanagement.
Economic and political development is in a mess. Majority of the peoples of Pakistan are
uneducated. In short, socially, economically, politically, Pakistan is ruined and its security is
vulnerable among the nations. There were the leaders who could have changed the destiny of
Pakistan like Quaid-e- Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah who died very soon, General
Muhammad Ayub Khan, Zulfqar Ali Bhutto, Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif
etc. The existence of bureaucracy, under political backing was not easy, the bureaucracy itself
desperate and consequently disagreement arise. The then governments were operating within
the limitations, crises, and inter-provincial rivalries. The state has to provide services, justice,
maintain law and carry prosperity, and if it has to be effective, it has to have a good
bureaucracy. The military and civilian bureaucracy is building its time to stability of
government. Civil services worked efficiently up to 1960s and to resist social pressures and
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act on rules ended a few years after 1947. The success of the civilian government through its
trials tribulation, to build political and economic institutions to withstand the tempests of the
time is yet to be seen. It's true if politicians and the military have not demoralized the
bureaucracy, turning it into a collection of self-serving individuals, instead of an institution
based on rules, the hierarchy of authority, accountability and professional ethics, the success
would have been visible today. If the spring is here, can winter be far behind. Weber said
Once bureaucracy is fully established among the social structures which are the hardest to
destroy. Imposition of martial law is the cry of certain segments of society. If that happens,
then, Pakistans development: economic, social, political and institutional is not sighted far in
the coming future. Global perception is that the bureaucracies of the developing countries are
permanent stakeholders and the copartner; Politions are for the tenure Government has to
make bureaucracies neutral in its role to stabilize the growth and system of the country
References
Khalid B. Sayeed, 1967 Politics in Pakistan: The Nature and Direction of Change, New York: Praeger
Publishers,
Weber 1968, Essays in Sociology1864-1920;Gerth Hans Heinrich, 1980;Mills,C
Ferrel Heady, 1984 Public Administration: A Comparative Perspective, 3rd ed. New
York: Marcel Dekkers, Inc.
Herman Finer, 1945 Critics of Bureaucracy, Political Science Quarterly Vol.60.No: I
Charles Kennedy, 1987 the Bureaucracy in Pakistan, Oxford University Press.
Raleaph Braibanti, 1967 Public Bureaucracy and Judiciary in Pakistan, Princeton, N.J. Princeton
University Press.
Edward C. Page, 1985 Political Authority and Bureaucratic Power, Brighton, Sussex: Harvester
Press.
Heeger, Gerald A. 1977 Politics in the Post-Military State: Some Reflections on the
Pakistani
Experience. World Politics.
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