Pakistan has a long history of failed attempts at civil service reform. Each government announces ambitious plans to revamp the bureaucratic machinery, promising a more efficient, transparent and accountable civil service.
Pakistan's repeated failures at civil service reform stem largely from who leads these efforts—commissions dominated by retired civil servants. Reforming a system by relying on those who have benefited from its inefficiencies is akin to “asking the gatekeeper to change the rules of entry." Their deep-rooted familiarity with the bureaucracy often prevents them from advocating for the kind of transformative change needed. As a result, reforms have focused on surface-level adjustments, like pay scales and perks, rather than addressing the fundamental issues of political interference, meritocracy, and accountability.
A key issue with the civil service structure is its colonial legacy. British colonizers designed the system to control, not serve. This extractive model relied on a few thousand westernized officials -- with bureaucrats considering themselves superior to the people they ruled. The mindset persists today, with federal bureaucrats often undermining provincial services, which hampers effective governance at the local level. Despite constitutional guarantees, provincial administrations remain underdeveloped, viewed as secondary to central power.
True reform requires a bold reimagining of governance, moving beyond the cozy club of privilege and towards a citizen-centric approach. We need leaders with the courage to dismantle outdated hierarchies and establish accountability, not those bound by a colonial mindset. Only by involving independent experts, policy specialists, and those committed to genuine public service can we hope to build a responsive, transparent civil service that truly serves the people.
Check out the article published in The Express Tribune: https://tribune.com.pk/story/2503980/civil-service-reforms-breaking-the-cycle-of-failure
