On a whim

While it is within its right to shuffle top mandarins, the exercise should be dictated by merit, justifiable needs.

Bureaucrats, no matter how powerful, can hardly afford falling afoul with the government. Discretion, as their breed knows full well, is the better part of valour. Perhaps, Tahir Mahmood, the embattled Accountant General of Pakistan Revenues (AGPR), who was sent on forced leave on January 13, strayed too much from the beaten path. Mr Mahmood is reported to have sent four references to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) against federal ministries, including finance and planning, seeking probes into charges of corruption, financial impropriety and discrepancies in accounts. The government, according to one media report, deemed that the AGPR overstepped his authority by sending the references to the graft-busting institution directly without following due procedure. As could be expected, the government acted swiftly by suspending him and ordering a counter inquiry against him. The AGPR, however, successfully challenged his suspension in the Islamabad High Court (IHC), which set aside the government order.

This proved a short-lived consolation for the official who, despite resuming his former functions, could not get along with the government any longer. While his court case is fixed for today, the prospects of him taking back his post do not look bright, given the fact that NADRA and PEMRA chiefs also had to bow out in the end. Without going into the merits and demerits of the moves against these three top officials, we can’t help but detect an obstinate tendency in the government’s approach. While it is within its right to shuffle top mandarins, the exercise should be dictated by merit and justifiable needs, not by a sudden whim or caprice. If the government continues to either suspend or send senior officers on forced leave, its credibility would suffer a big dent. Already, its actions have set tongues wagging and provided its detractors ample justification to haul it over the coals.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 16^th, 2014.

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