Bureaucracy in a nutcracker.

Damned if it does, damned if I doesn't Politicians coming to power have frequently usedbureaucrats tobend and break the lawsto fulfill their wishes. This has led to gravesocial consequences.

Honest government officers who were sidelined were demoralized. Corruption became rampant both amongthe politicians andof bureaucracy.

While ministers usedfederal and provincial secretaries to carry out their illegalorders, the ruling party's parliamentarians considered it their rightto direct Deputy Commissioners and District Police Officers to appoint SHOs, Tehsildars and Patwaris of their own choice in their constituencies. This helped ruling party politicians to settle their scores with their political opponents andoblige their cronies.

One cannot but support Imran Khan when he says that he wants to depoliticize thebureaucracy and ensure merit-based appointments. It wasalso commendable on the part of the Prime Minister to address a gathering of government servants on the issue.

Bureaucracy however is one part of the problem while ruling party leadersarethe other. There is an equally dire need to persuade the ruling party's parliamentarians to abandon the culture of patronage.

As things stand the PTI's lawmakers and ministerscontinue to approach government servants to influence appointments and transfers in theirconstituencies The government should have rewarded two Deputy Commissioners in Punjab who complained against the ruling party's legislators seeking such appointments if it really wanted to depoliticize bureaucracy. They have instead been issuedshow cause notices prior to removal from service.

A DPO summoned by Punjab Chief Minister for failing to obligean influential person also faces disciplinary action. These actions stand in contradiction to Imran Khan's stated desire to put an end to the politicization of bureaucracy.

Lecturing government servants alone is not enough. Equally important is for thePrime Minister to stop the PTI law makers and ministers who to continue to use political leverageto have their blue eyed boys given jobs in their constituencies to dole outfavours to their cronies and persecute their opponents in violation of rule of law and good governance.