Civil Service is essential for
the smooth functioning of every government. The civil service in India and
Pakistan, since colonial days, has long been regarded as the ‘steel frame’ of
administration. The colonial legacy of civil service is continuing in this fast
changing era of globalization. Civil services, in most of the developing
countries, bear close resemblance in functioning and exhibit similar
characteristics, probably because of their shared colonial legacy.
Feeling the brunt of the situation, everybody is looking up to the leadership of
the country for a positive change in the situation. Every sector of the society
is hoping that the democratic leadership will gather the necessary will to think
above their political and vested interests and after involving all the
stakeholders come up with a positive reform agenda, converting the inefficient,
corrupt and ineffective civil service into a vibrant, professional, more
accountable to public and responsive civil service that can bring good
governance in the country, pull the country out of the current quagmires and
lead it on the path of development, social uplift and economic prosperity.
The world and its necessities have changed, the role of the government is no
more only to secure the lives and properties of its citizens. Because of
globalization, scientific and technological advancements and the emergence of
vibrant civil societies there is increased domestic and foreign pressures to
reduce corruption, increase transparency and raise ethical standards in the
conduct of public affairs. Globalisation has also given rise to new
international economic trends, particularly in trade, movements of both capital
and labor and unfettered exchanges of information across borders – which in turn
have created complex new interdependencies that national systems must recognize,
adapt to, and manage. To make Pakistan’s civil services capable of handling this
new scenario, security situation and the challenges of the 21st century, the
responses of the respondents contacted for this dissertation can provide a
starting point, a first step, on which the edifice of the civil services reforms
could be build. It must be understood and appreciated that civil service is a
profession where one is expected to work for the welfare of the fellow citizens,
it is not simply managerial professionalism, it has an ethical and human
dimension--welfare of the fellow citizens.