MPA 401-PAPLecture 3Status of PA in Pakistan

History of PA in SubcontinentPA as an Academic Discipline in PakistanPractice of PA in PakistanAdministrative Regression in Pakistan

History of PA in Subcontinent• Today’s administrative systems and procedures in Pakistan have its

roots in particular to the British period. Two hundred years of British

rule still have its vestiges and remnants on the structure, rules,

procedures and organizational behaviors. But the British changed the

structure to the extent of what their goals were in the sub-continent.

The retained the structure at the district level which they inherited

from Moghuls.

• Administrative process in Pakistan is the result of years of assimilation

of the cultural and administrative practices of Indus Valley Civilizations

including Aryans, Greeks, Persian, Maurya, Moghuls and British.

Indus Valley Civilization• Mohenjodaro and Harrapa (B.C. 3250-2750)

• Gordon Childe writes; “The remains of many well

planned streets and municipal system of drains,

regularly cleaned, reflect the vigilance of some

regular municipal government. Its authority was

strong enough to secure observance of town planning

bye-laws’.

• “Granaries at Harrapa were constructed in planned

and coordinated manner. Grain was source of wealth

and collected as taxes.”

Maurya Empire (322-185 BC)

• The Maurya Empire had government officials who looked after agriculture improvement, measured land and inspected irrigation system. During this period government employees were divided into three categories:

1. District Officials were responsible for irrigation, land measurement, hunting, agriculture, roads and distance stones.

2. Officials who dealt with military: Army was maintained to defend the borders and it was well looked after.

3. Capital Management: There were 6 boards, each managing i) supervision of factories, ii) care of foreigners, iii) births & deaths, iv) trade & commerce, v) inspection of manufactured articles and vi) collection of sales tax. (Taken from Kautilya, Arthasastra, Book II, Ch. XXXVI)

Moghul Empire (16th-18th Century)• During the time of Akbar human resource management was done. Career

civil service system with hierarchical structure existed. Entry to civil

service was not restricted based on religion or geographic origin. Akbar

further improved the system:

1. Revenue collection system: During Akbar period revenue collection

system was improved. It was based on survey and classification of soil.

The land was classified as agriculture and non-agriculture. Within the

agriculture the land was graded State tax was then fixed and charged

according to the type of soil.

2. Judicial system: Judicial Officers were appointed at the district, town

and village levels.

3. Law enforcement: Kotwal (chief police officer), with only civil authority

was appointed in important towns. In rural areas faujdar (army chief)

was appointed to control crime.

…contd• After Akbar, for over hundred years no real administrative

system could develop, mainly because the disarray of the

empire began with Jahangir, who first allowed the East

India Company to set up a factory in 1642 at Balasore for

medical service provided by the Surgeon of the company

on the ship.

• The East India Company, which was a trading Company

and had its Board of Governors, was granted charter on

31 Dec., 1600 to trade freely into and from East Indies, by

the British Parliament.

British Period • The beginning of British Rule in the sub-continent started and the East

India Company gradually expanded its operations. In 1609 - the

authority to trade was further extended. In 1661 - the Company was

empowered to declare war on and have peace with any ruler.

• The Regulating Act 1773 was passed by British parliament granting the

British government powers to regulate the affairs of the Company in

India. By this time the British government was not ruling directly India.

All matters and powers were given to the company to rule.

• In 1757 the victory at Plassey paved the way for the British rule. There

were innumerable battles and conflict before the British government’s

direct rule which really started after 1857 (War of Independence).

History of PA in PakistanThe maintenance of a little-modified British colonial bureaucratic

structure with its emphasis upon law-and-order and revenue

collection was viewed by some as a deliberate act first to insure

survival of the new state and then to preserve the power and

position of existing elites. Hence, Khalid B. Sayeed has stated:

“Both Jinnah and Liaquat relied very heavily on the civil servants....

The only model of government that Pakistani leaders had known

was that of the British vice-regal system in India under which the

bureaucrats had exercised their power . . . without any

interference from politicians.”

..contdAfter the death of both Jinnah and Liaquat, other leaders

(President Iskandar Mirza, for example) openly sided

with the civil servants in maintaining their autonomy

from political "interference":

“You cannot have the old British system of administration

(and) at the same time allow politicians to interfere

with the civil service. In the British system the District

Magistrate was the kingpin of administration. His

authority was unquestioned. We have to restore that”.

..contd• Suffice it to say that the civil bureaucracy in Pakistan until the

Bhutto regime was one of the "pillars" of support for government operations and, as a result of this reliance upon the civil bureaucracy in policy making, the bureaucracy exercised considerable leverage upon government operations.

• Hence, for the first 25 years of Pakistan, the civil bureaucracy and the CSP were critical to the decision making and implementation processes. The "steel frame" of government in Pakistan contributed to both the successes and failures of the pre-Bhutto period. As the most organized public institution, the civil bureaucracy took advantage of the disorganization which existed among the politicians.

..contdThe new management style of the Bhutto regime was such

that the civil bureaucracy, rather than making policy, was

relegated to providing only alternatives-"Bhutto wants

alternatives, not decisions" was a commonly heard

phrase in Islamabad. Hence, well in advance of the

August 1973 announcement, the structure of decision

making and the role of the civil bureaucracy had been

altered by the "new men" in Islamabad and the provincial

capitals-Lahore and Karachi.

British PA System in Pakistan "The defects as well as the merits of the existing

administrative system stem largely from the fact that it is a heritage from a colonial power…….The combination yielded a system of Public Administration admirably suited to the requirements of a government engaged largely in the primary functions of collection of revenue, administration of justice, and maintenance of law and order. Under the stress of social and economic change, some alternations were made in this system from time to time, but, fundamentally and broadly, the methods and outlook of the public service, the tasks they performed, and the procedures they followed remained unchanged. The inevitable result has been that, with the independence and the shift of emphasis from regulating the life of the community to positive action for promoting its welfare, the system has become outdated and seriously inadequate.”(First Five Year Plan, P. 91)

PA for National Development

1. A streamlined organization at the Center and in the provinces

2. Central planning machinery3. Panning and development departments

in the provinces4. Statutory public corporations and

authorities vested with autonomy to implement special programs

..contd5. A revitalized district administration directed

towards development

6. Democratically constituted local self-government institutions

7. A rational system of financial administration

8. Public service policies designed to maintain an efficient corps of workers

9. A progressive look on the part of public service.

PA as an Academic Discipline in Pakistan• Transformation of PA would have been

unthinkable without giving due attention to the education and training of public administrators. Thus, the need for pre-entry and in-service training of civil servants and Public Administration education at the university level was recognized. The United States, under its technical assistance program, USAID extended elaborate help to Pakistan in setting up various Public Administration education and training institutions.

…contd

• By the mid 1960s, the following Public Administration educational and training institutions were fully operational:

1. Department of Public Administration, University of Punjab, Lahore.

2. Administrative Staff College, Lahore for training of senior officers.

3. The Civil Service of Pakistan Academy.

…contd1. Finance Officers Training Academy.

2. The Academies for Village Development.

3. National Institutes of Public Administration in Lahore and Dacca for training of mid-career civil servants (Second Five Year Plan).

• PU setup Dept of PA in 1962 to confer MPA degrees.

Current Status of PA Education

1. Number and Size of PA Programs

2. Organizational Settings

3. Program Structure and Types of Programs

4. Teachers' Academic Background

5. Research in Public Administration

6. Accreditation and Professional Bodies

Practice of PA in PakistanPublic Administration

Revenue Administration

Organizational Setup Law & Order

…contd• Bureaucratic structure is aimed at

maximizing bureaucratic control over democratic control which is shared by political entities and public opinion.

• Individually, members of governing elite want change, but act in much the same way as they did during Colonial period.

Administrative Regression in Pakistan

•Absence of long-term HR development and Management policy.

•Denial of “Supremacy of Law” and catering to the personal whims of the ruling class.

•Pressures from Political leadership.

•Reclusive Decision-making and fear of delegating powers.

…contd• Rapid turnover and transfer of Civil servant esp. Police and

DA.

• Inadequate compensation package.

• Lengthy and unsatisfactory grievance and complaint

resolution mechanisms despite existence of Ombudsman.

• Creation of isolated project units to meet donor conditions

• Turf fighting.

• Absence of internal accountability.