AN ESSAY ON CORRUPTION

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  9.                             AN ESSAY ON CORRUPTION

No trade in Pakistan is possible unless one greases the palms of the concerned authorities . In Islam , who bribes for his work to be done commits a greater sin than who takes the bribe .

When was  I attending the NIPA course preparatory to promotion (which was not in my fate) to the next higher grade , there was a visiting professor who belonged to a famous university . He had been passed over to become a bureaucrat    . In each session , he would make a dig at the country’s bureaucracy . He is not alone in making this dig . There may be others like him .  A case of sour grapes.

It is  universally acknowledged that ‘corruption’ is a world wide phenomenon , not only in Pakistan . It did not save the image of the European Royalty from being soiled . Princes Philip of the UK and Bernard of the Netherlands were accused of obtaining ‘hush-hush’ money . Of course , their cases never saw the daylight .

In every third world country the division between the haves and the have nots is more acute than elsewhere in the world and hence the feeling is greater. Even ,in Pakistan , where the country was founded on the slogan of Islam , the society has become  rotten to the core .However , while discussing corruption ,we tend to focus on the country’s bureaucracy alone . We do not even consider other field or professions . The management and employees of each Pharmaceutical companies are aware of the company’s sponsored overseas visit of doctors .Do they not fall under the definition of ‘ Corruption’ . In addition , doctors prescribe of particular favoured companies .

As I former ‘bureaucrat’ , I had many opportunities to meet journalists who were willing to change their reports for a cup of

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tea. Or journalists visiting foreign embassies located in Islamabad  for a bottle of whiskey . There are many instances in my career when journalists gave negative twists in their reports , if annoyed . I remember an occasion when the late Ahmed Nadeem Qasimi gave a twist in his column in his newspaper . The media is instrumental in promoting or demoting of individuals , not only here in Pakistan but everywhere .   These days many news of the wrongdoings of journalists are floating in the air of Islamabad .

The older generation on the virgin soil of Pakistan  started this practice . How they afforded maintaining cars or traveling by air in their meager salary ? It does not need rocket science to imagine .

An ‘accursed’ bureaucrat .

Mahfooz ur Rahman

Islamabad

Dated November 10, 2012