“Have you read Syed Saadat’s piece?” asked a probationary officer with gusto.

“No I haven’t. Why?” I replied.

“It’s about us. They are talking about us – about our meager salaries”, replied the officer. The word spread in the Civil Services Academy and everybody was reading or sharing the piece.

Syed Saadat, a young bureaucrat, talked about corruption and how the civil servants are left with no other option if they want to support their families. The tone was sarcastic and bitter filled with cynicism – the article was something that not just the young officers in the academy could relate to, but so could the senior officers in the field. Then Syed Anwar Mehmood came out with his own plea about the salary structure of the civil servants. For the days to come in the academy, it seemed as if the poor salary structure was the only ill afflicting the once prestigious institution of the country.

The lush green grounds and the gnarled trees of the Civil Services Academy have seen many bureaucrats in the making since 1973 belonging to different occupational groups. The argument that the civil service has lost the ability to attract the brightest minds of the country does not hold true. One, the claim that the profession once hosted the brightest and the wisest is itself debatable. Second, although the prestige of civil service has declined over the years yet there are still examples of doctors and engineers, and other professionals, who forgo other opportunities and scholarships to join the service. There is a lady officer who was selected on a Rhodes Scholarship but chose to join the civil service this year. She certainly knew what she was getting into. Same goes for other officers who consciously made a decision to join the service.

I agree, salary is a very important issue concerning the civil servants, especially when they compare themselves with graduates of top universities working in the private sector. Here, I would also like to mention that the notion that graduates of LUMS and NUST, or other universities, getting paid high starting salaries (around 40,000-60,000) is largely exaggerated. This may be an exception with a very few graduates but it certainly is not the general practice these days.  Low salary structure, even though an issue, certainly does not highlight the fundamental ills of the service.

By constantly talking about the declining prestige of the civil service, we are not talking about the real issues. The status and esteem of the institution was destined to evolve as it shifted, rather languidly from its colonial legacy. The real debate is not whether the service has the same esteem in the country or not, but it is whether it has succeeded in delivering on its main functions. And if it hasn't, then is the poor salary structure holding the officers back from working diligently? Most of the corruption that takes place in the service results after this rationalisation where the system is blamed first and foremost for not taking ‘adequate care’ of them.

Let’s talk facts. The fact is many officers are in different occupational groups not because they opted for it or due to their aptitude, but because they scored lower than others in some subject and fell at a certain place on the merit list.

The fact is there is a serious crisis of capacity in the service as well. The gap between capacity of the service to discharge its duties and the enormity of issues is widening persistently. It has less to do with the declining ‘prestige’ of the civil service and more to do with the stagnant capacity of civil services and plethora of issues.

The civil service has failed to evolve with time and was thus unsuccessful in responding to increasing challenges. The recent reforms in a few areas, though steps in positive direction, may prove too little too late. Increase in salaries can always only be one small step in attracting more people to the service but it can never guarantee improvement in services. For that we will have to think on other lines.

Ali Baraan is a critic.

The views expressed by this blogger and in the following reader comments do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Dawn Media Group.