Death of merit

Fleeting moments

A culture may change with time but the VIP culture in this dear land of ours has withstood the test of time. Even the PPP-led governments, which boasted of being governments of the downtrodden, didn’t cause any dent to this culture. ‘Don’t you know who I am’ is the spirit our worthies uphold to the best of their modest abilities.

Former chairman Senate Nayyar Bukhari had some weeks ago pushed a policeman outside the court when the latter had asked the mighty about his exalted identity. While the VIP pushed the cop with utter disdain, reportedly his illustrious son – a VIP by default – rained down a few quick punches at the cop on duty.

The policeman was doing what he was supposed to do but, to his bad luck, he had failed to recognise a VIP face. The VIP progeny seems to have been rightly groomed to be a successful politician to lead proletariat like us. We have many in line to keep the dynastic rule going. And many of them are destined to inherit offshore companies as well.

Recently, DPO Bahawalnagar Sharik Kamal Siddiqui was not only relieved of his post but also had to leave the province. He earned the displeasure of the federal government for annoying the local MNA Alam Dad Laleka. And why the lawmaker wanted to see the back of an upright and dutiful police officer was because Siddiqui’s men had raided the MNA’s outhouse to arrest his henchmen who had apparently earlier roughed up policemen at a checkpost.

Siddiqui was ordered by certain high-ups to visit the MNA at his dera and apologise for police ‘misdemeanour’. Otherwise, he would have to leave the district and the province. Siddiqui, an honourable professional, chose the latter. You did us proud, Mr Siddiqui. Keep it up. The nation needs more like you, which is the reason why the traders feted you before you left the district.

But worldly wisdom suggests that I be on the right side of the good lawmaker and admit: with men like you in parliament, sir, we’re in safe hands.

We often ridicule the police for failing to do their duty, without realising the circumstances under which the police force operates. For instance, most of the officers who head the top district or divisional slots are chosen more for their allegiance to the party in power than to the people who pay for their salaries.

In far-off districts, the senior civil and police officers are posted at the whims of the local MPs. Since the local politics revolves around the local SHO and patwari, controlling the two minions means controlling the flow of votes in an election.

Everyone thinks that the law and order in Karachi has improved manifold after the Rangers’ action. Why? Because political parties’ flunkies in the police have been sidelined. As long as the police force remains politicised, there’s little hope of improvement in the law and order situation.

Most politicians have a feudal mindset. They prefer personal loyalties of civil servants to supremacy of merit. And they won’t take ‘no’ for an answer from a civil servant who, instead of obliging them, quotes rules and regulations.

When servility of civil servants to political masters is preferred over them justly performing their official duties, law and order will surely suffer. An upright police officer once remarked: “A police officer who responds to his political superiors ‘sir, sir, sir’, when addressed instead of only ‘sir’ gets promoted quicker than his peers.”

That may be the reason the public thinks the law mostly applies its force to pin the lowly and the unconnected, not the powerful and well-networked.

The writer is a freelance columnist based in Lahore. Email: pinecity@gmail.com