Nepotism rules. Again

Nepotism is defined as ‘the practice among those with power or influence of favouring relatives or friends. Especially by giving them jobs.’ It is a global phenomenon but worse in some places than others and rife in Pakistan. It has undermined state institutions for decades, corrupted the civil service and is pervasive in local governance. Occasionally, it is so blatant that a blind eye can no longer be turned, with such being the case recently in the Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC). The Ministry of National Food Security and Research is reported to have taken “serious notice” of nepotism in PARC that is said to involve the recruitment of more than 300 employees.

Scores of complaints are reported to have been made to the ministry, which has asked the PARC management to review its recruitment process and report its findings to the ministry. This is akin to giving the keys of the safe to the man who wants to rob it, as the scale and seniority of the corruption is unlikely to produce much by way of honest inquiry. The rot goes to the top, with the PARC administration conniving with the ex-secretary of food security and research and no less than an ex-chairman of PARC. Together they ensured that close relatives — who may or may not have had the skills and qualifications appropriate to the post — were inducted into key management positions. To the surprise of nobody, the PARC senior management is said to be deploying ‘delaying tactics’. It is skilled in the wiles of manipulation having already manipulated the National Testing Service list and inflating the numbers actually recruited against a single post — by 17 in at least one instance. The PARC management has refused to comment on these developments and we wonder just how long-lasting or effective any move to disrupt obviously corrupt activities will be. These are powerful figures in protected and entrenched positions used to exercising power and influence and there is no reason to suppose they will be shown the door any time soon. Nepotism really does rule — again.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 31^st,  2016.

Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.