MPA 401-PAP

Lecture 3
Status of PA in Pakistan

History of PA in Subcontinent
PA as an Academic Discipline in Pakistan
Practice of PA in Pakistan
Administrative 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 Pakistan
The 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.”
..contd
After 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.
..contd
The 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 machinery
3. Panning and development departments in the
provinces
4. Statutory public corporations and authorities
vested with autonomy to implement special
programs
..contd
5. 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.
…contd
1. 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 Pakistan

Public
Administration

Revenue Organizational
Law & Order
Administration Setup
…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.