CSPs’ role in democratic dispensation discussed

LAHORE, April 15: Civil servants have a bigger role to play in the affairs of the country after the 18th Amendment and they should deal with the issues making use of their experience and professional expertise. The officers should also try to know positive and negative sides of democratic governance as they may have to deal with all sorts of people while performing their duties. Supreme Court Bar Association president Asma Jahangir said this while delivering keynote address at a seminar titled "The Role of Civil Service in Democratic Governance" which was arranged by DMG Association, Punjab chapter, at DMG Campus here on Friday. She said though Pakistan had been called a failed state, yet she was deeply impressed by the efforts of the displaced people of Malakand for resuming their life. There was a need to promote this spirit, she added. She maintained that CSPs were considered masters of the destiny of the people during the Ayub era and they continued to be considered so under the Yahya Khan's regime as well. However, General Pervez Musharraf destroyed the mechanism of governance during his rule. Ms Jahangir said civil servants played a key role in policy-making but they were not policy makers as this was the prerogative of political leadership. The parliamentary system was more suitable to the upper echelons of the country who became ministers to rule the country. Sharing her experiences during her association with the United Nations, she called the civil service institutions in India and the United Kingdom as the best in the whole world. She urged the civil servants to develop a global vision as "we cannot live in isolation in today's world." She said Pakistan should economically benefit from emerging economies of China and India. Civil servants could not remain apolitical however; they should not attach themselves with any political organisation. They had a special role to build up public opinion while working in the field, she added. Former DMG officer Shafqat Mehmood said civil servants had to follow what their political masters told them. Bureaucracy had an important role in giving policy directions and civil servants had to follow certain rules and regulations, he added. He said while politicians in other countries could not dare violating the law, strong aversion existed among the political class in Pakistan to adhering to rules and regulations. He advised the politicians to amend Rules of Business and also shoulder the responsibility. He further advised them not to take civil servants as opponents or their favourites. Syed Yawar Ali said civil servants had an important role of creating hope among the masses. Pakistan should boost its economic ties with India which had a much bigger economy and a market of 1.2 billion people. Punjab human rights department secretary Arshad bin Ahmad said that Pakistan should learn from the governance experiences of Singapore and South Korea. Pakistan needed developing and promoting knowledge-based governance. Bangladesh and India had successfully improved their governance structures through composite reforms. Former federal secretary Tasneem Norani said that the civil service had a diverse character and it also had a core character to protect life and property of the common people besides ensuring law and order in society. Democracy and civil service had a direct co-relation with each other, he added. Raza Ahmad Rumi said the last decade was the worst for the civil service. No other reform agenda could be achieved without civil service reforms. Pakistan should enhance its trade relations with India like that of People's Republic of China and Taiwan, he added.