The criminal justice system is such a versatile policy tool that it can be used in either way as per the designs of its wielders. Just look at a hypothetical scenario wherein a person ‘K’ kills his neighbor ‘D’ during an altercation over a dispute of some civil nature. And inconsequent to this heinous act of murder the whole machinery of the criminal justice system comes into action.
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The seeds of governance destruction are hidden in the CSS exam itself. An examination, in which more than 80% of candidates fail in ‘Essay’ and ‘English Précis & Composition’ papers, speaks unambiguously that CSS is just an exam of the English language. As a corollary, it also meant that no other skill, competency or expertise is relevant, except the English language, to be a so-called ‘civil servant’.
An overemphasis on the English language also implies that the solution to all ills of Pakistani society lies in good ‘Essay writing’ and the first-class command over ‘English Précis & Composition’. No wonder that most of the CSS officers stand loyal to this criterion in the whole tenure of their service, and never let any other management tool to infect their virgin minds.
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It’s undeniable that most of the officers coming from the lower middle class, and entering into public offices, especially coming through competitive exams, are persons of knowledge, and come with good intentions. However, as it is said “the road to hell is paved with good intentions” a similar kind of phenomenon happens with these officers. On getting catapulted into the middle class and upper-middle-class, these officers are pressured to adopt middle-class morality with expectations to behave in a certain ‘upright’ and ‘responsible’ way.
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The year 2020 was especially painful in a way that my close friend and colleague SSP Abrar Hussain committed suicide. SSP Abrar Hussain (May Allah bless your soul) was not only my batch-mate but my roommate also at the National Police Academy (NPA). We belonged to the same soil (District Jhang-now Chiniot) — irrigated by the life-giving waters of Chenab river. The day we reported to NPA, he told me “Shakir-we shall share a room”, and I said “ok”. We stayed together for more than a year, and not a single time we traded uncomfortable words on any issue. However, it was not me, but the big heart of Abrar, which made it possible for two poles apart to live together in one place.
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