State of disorder

The priority of the government must be to act on merit, make sure every official is appointed in the same way.

It is hard to know how things can run smoothly in a country when so much disorder prevails, and the heads of institutions are removed one day and reinstated the next. No organisation can function when this happens, affecting continuity and discipline within it. On December 16, Chairman of the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) Chaudhry Rashid Ahmed was reinstated by the Islamabad High Court (IHC) just a day after he had been suspended by the government. This chain of events almost precisely replicates those seen earlier this month in the case of NADRA Chairman Tariq Malik, who had also been controversially removed only to be placed back in his office by the IHC.

While the office of President Mamnoon Hussain, who had removed Mr Rashid on the advice of the prime minister, says he was unconstitutionally appointed, this is a matter of dispute. The government’s position on Mr Malik was also one not agreed with by the court. This brings up the point of why the government seems so determined to act in haste. Its measures, and the litigation that has followed, has simply done more harm than good. The issue of appointments, and removals, needs to be far better thought out. Still more essential is the need to follow rules and correct procedures, for not doing so leads to both embarrassment and chaos.

The priority of the government must, of course, be to act on merit, make sure every official is appointed in the same way and there is no tendency to act on whim or to meet specific purposes. It is vital our institutions work smoothly and effectively, and this will be possible only if we can avoid the kind of actions we have lately been seeing too often, with litigation now continuing in the case of men holding two key positions. Everything possible needs to be done to avoid similar, unsavoury situations arising in the future given the damage they cause, with important offices also plunged into a state of instability.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 18^th, 2013.

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