
Political appointments are the norm and nepotism is rampant in many government departments. It is an open secret that these appointments are often given to undeserving candidates. Many times they are illegal, as we saw when the Federal Public Service Commission declared as illegal the hiring process of hundreds of political appointees at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences earlier this month. The ECP’s decision to ban political appointments has been perceived to have been done to arrest any likelihood of pre-poll rigging, which could have resulted from the induction of thousands of people who have recently been posted in various positions by the ruling party. That is a wise move but not a solution to the problem that political appointments bring. They are more than just carrot and stick ploys or bribes; there needs to be a practical solution or a cap of sorts, otherwise, key positions will continue to be given on the basis of favouritism, nepotism and without merit.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 7th, 2013.
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