Role of bureaucracy in Pakistan

British legacy

• Pakistan inherited the ICS tradition through the Civil Service of Pakistan (CSP), a small elite cadre with generalist officers.
• The district officer (deputy commissioner) combined revenue, magisterial and development powers, often seen as the 'mai-baap' (parent) of the district.
• Colonial laws, procedures and a culture of control rather than service continued after independence.

Civil-military relations and dominance

• In the early years, senior bureaucrats such as Ghulam Muhammad and Iskander Mirza became head of state.
• Scholars describe a 'civil-military bureaucratic oligarchy' that dominated weak political institutions until the 1970s.
• Military regimes relied on the bureaucracy to govern, and military officers were inducted into civil posts.

Purges and reforms

• Ayub Khan's screening of officers (1959).
• Yahya Khan's dismissal of 303 officers (1969).
• Zulfikar Ali Bhutto's administrative reforms (1973): abolished the CSP cadre, removed constitutional service guarantees, introduced lateral entry and occupational groups; about 1,300 officers were removed.
• Musharraf's devolution (2001) abolished the deputy commissioner's office, later restored.
• National Commission for Government Reforms (2006–08) and the Task Force on Civil Service Reform (2018–21), both led by Ishrat Husain.

Neutrality and its dilution

• Political allegiance: postings, transfers and promotions are often based on loyalty to political leaders.
• Frequent transfers reduce the average tenure of officers and discourage long-term work.
• In the Anita Turab case (2013), the Supreme Court held that civil servants must follow the law, not illegal orders, and that tenure and transfers must follow rules.
• Power and the corrupting of incumbents: discretionary powers create opportunities for rent-seeking and collusion with politicians and business interests.

Institutional degradation

• Decline in the quality of training and recruitment over the decades.
• Rote-based examinations and generalist dominance over specialists.
• Fear of accountability agencies leading to avoidance of decisions.
• Weak performance management and promotion based on seniority.

Constitutional guarantees

• The 1956 and 1962 constitutions gave civil servants constitutional protections against dismissal.
• The 1973 Constitution removed these, leaving terms of service to law (Article 240) under the Civil Servants Act 1973.
• Article 242 provides for public service commissions; Article 212 for service tribunals.

Salaries and inflation

• Civil service pay is not automatically indexed to the Consumer Price Index (CPI).
• Pay is revised through basic pay scale revisions and ad hoc relief allowances announced in budgets.
• High inflation erodes real salaries, encouraging corruption and the departure of talented officers.
• Reform proposals include market-based pay for key posts and regular indexation.

Way forward

• Depoliticize postings and guarantee tenure.
• Merit-based, performance-linked promotion.
• Specialist cadres and modern training.
• Fair and inflation-linked pay.
• Digitization and simplified rules.

Conclusion

Pakistan's bureaucracy has the talent and tradition to serve as the steel frame of the state. Restoring its neutrality, competence and integrity is central to improving governance.