It is 2018 but the problems of the common man keep on increasing
CHINIOT: It is 2018 but the problems of the common man keep on increasing. If you want to see the situation first-hand, visit the accounts offices of Pakistan. No one wants to go to these offices because it is a completely different world — one of its own kind. Rude behaviour, lack of manners, offensive tones and bribery are all very rampant. If you bribe officials you will have your work done in no time. But if you don’t, red tape starts right here.
Date after date is given, you are expected to visit the office over and over again, and after making a number of visits you will be compelled to think that ‘honesty is NOT the best policy’ sometimes. Best are the clerks of BPS-11 who have their families settled abroad, have a fat bank balance and are known as property tycoons in their areas. I too in between many visits to one such office have thought that I should grease the palms of the right persons and get my work done. But I couldn’t do that.
I am teacher by profession and dignity and respect are my priority. I was appointed as SESE Urdu at GHS Pir Punja Tehsil, Lalian, district Chiniot. I have also been a victim of red tape and received my first salary after seven months. But that’s not all; I still haven’t been paid salaries for six months of my service — from 01/08/2017 to 31/01/2018. In fact, my pay scale has also not been upgraded from BPS-14 to BPS-15 as per the Punjab government’s notification WEF 01/01/2018.
But the question is what should we do? Should we assume that ‘while in Rome do as the Romans do’? Or should we stick to the theory that ‘death is nothing, but to live an inglorious and defeated life to die daily’?
Majid Iqbal Nadeem
Published in The Express Tribune, May 24th, 2018.
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