Since the formation of Pakistan, either the bureaucracy has been doing politics or politics has been done by the bureaucracy itself. As soon as this country was formed, Chaudhry Muhammad Ali, Ghulam Muhammad Malik, Sikandar Mirza, and their unarmed officers took important decisions in their own hands. After 1954, power was gradually transferred from civil officers to military officers, and after the martial law of 1958, it was rapidly transferred, but still officers like Qudratullah Shahab and Altaf Gohar had an important position in decision-making. Although the bureaucracy has become very weak in today’s hybrid system, the role of the bureaucracy is the most important in the governance style of Shahbaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz because the Sharif family is used to implementing its political and public decisions through its favorite bureaucracy. While congratulations continue on the recent promotions to Grades 21 and 22, the highest ranks of the bureaucracy, on the one hand, there is mourning at the homes of the officers who were rejected. It remains to be seen how much politics and how much competence have gone into the recent promotions?

Senior bureaucrat Tauqir Shah has worked with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif as a senior advisor for a long time. Recently, he has been made a regular advisor and the Prime Minister’s bureaucracy and his office have been handed over to him. It is as if now he will also do the work of the Principal Secretary and will also give advice on bureaucracy and politics. This is a welcome change because many ministers complained that even their small tasks in the Prime Minister’s Office were stalled. In Tauqir Shah’s absence, Shehbaz Sharif relied more on Ahad Cheema in matters of bureaucracy. Both Tauqir Shah and Ahad Cheema have been long-time loyalists of Shehbaz Sharif. Both have seen the cold and hot seasons of Noon and Cheema has also been a regular jailer. But Tauqir Shah has a long experience. He is also aware of politics and is aware of both bureaucratic and political thinking. Ahad Cheema believes in a stricter grip than Tauqir Shah. He is not ready to forgive unwanted officers quickly. His likes and dislikes play an important role in his decisions. It is expected that the arrival of an experienced advisor like Tauqir Shah will improve the performance of the Prime Minister’s Office in politics and governance.

One day, we, the scoundrels, received the news of the promotion of many officers, including the Prime Minister’s Principal Secretary, to Grade 22, but we were surprised when Principal Secretary Asad Gilani was just enjoying his promotion invitations that he was removed from the most important post of the bureaucracy, i.e., the Principal Secretary, and made the secretary of the unimportant Ministry of National Heritage. Now, either celebrate his promotion to Grade 22 two days ago or regret the decision of this government two days later, i.e., his unimportant posting. Can someone tell me what is the inner story of this open contradiction and this open politics in the bureaucracy? It is not enough that if an officer has taken an important posting during the PTI era, he has been ignored in the promotion process despite his high performance.

No matter how pharaoh the bureaucracy becomes, even if it shakes hands with the common people, its life is only in the two Ps (Ps) i.e. posting and promotion. In Urdu, progress and change are the axis and center of their job, no matter who the government is, they want them to get good postings and when the opportunity comes, they also get promotions. This time, many officers believe that they did not get promotions due to the internal politics of the bureaucracy and in the current government, the favorites and advocates of the bureaucracy have also got promotions whose qualifications are not comparable to theirs. I am happy that IG Usman Anwar got grade 22 because he did a lot for the welfare of women, transgenders and deprived classes as well as the police. He gave so many promotions to police employees that such an example is not found in the past, turned police stations into drawing rooms, brought so much funding that the hungry naked police force seems to be the richest force today. It is regrettable that Shahbaz Sharif’s self-appointed IG Amir Zulfiqar did not get promotion, did Imran Kishor Ahmed Mukarram and Amir Zulfiqar even go beyond Zubair Hashmi? Zubair Hashmi was about to retire after four months. Amir Zulfiqar was also the IG Motorway and IG Islamabad. He was also told to file a drug case against Rana Sanaullah but he was not ready. Not only Amir Zulfiqar, a review board should be established for the treatment of every officer who was abused so that this tradition is not used against anyone tomorrow. When we investigated, it was found that the reason for the officers who have been ignored, rejected or currently pending is because of the reports of the Intelligence Bureau. One hundred percent dependence on unconfirmed reports of the Intelligence Bureau sinks one’s career, although they are just hearsay and there is no confirmation of it. The same is the case with the former Deputy Commissioner Lahore and DG Food Authority, who are now DG Wildlife. Mudassar Riaz Malik, like Noorul Amin Mengal, had tried to create a pleasant feeling in Lahore, but he has been ignored like Ahmed Aziz Tarar, Asia Gul, Javed Akhtar Mahmood, Socrates Aman Rana, Dr. Bilal Haider, Shahid Zaman, Dr. Faisal Zahoor, Secretary Law Asif Bilal Lodhi, Shakir Dawood and Ali Abbas. There is a need to review the transparency of this entire process and do justice to these officers who have run the government structure in the past, present and future. The bureaucrats should now adopt the style of serving the people, not ruling. I wish the public’s opinion was also taken into account in the promotion of officers, whether they are the pharaohs of the time or servants of the people!! But alas, the promotion of officers is decided not by the people, but by officers who are even bigger than them.