Pakistani bureaucracy has been variously accused of being highly politicized, of exercising nepotism through using their influence with members of the executive to appoint their batch mates at key positions, irrespective of merit or appropriate qualifications, and of corruption; however never before was any member of the bureaucracy accused of lifting a wallet of a state guest from a foreign country. The theft of a Kuwaiti delegate's wallet by a grade-20 officer was not only embarrassing for the entire bureaucracy but for the country as well.
The official remains suspended till he has availed his right to present his defence, however, the security camera video clip of the incident itself has become viral which leaves little room for doubt of his guilt. The clip clearly shows that after the Kuwaiti delegation departed and the bureaucrat concerned was alone in the conference room he noted the wallet on the table and picked it up. Up to this point, he could have been defended on the ground that he picked up the wallet to return it to the owner. However, subsequent to the Kuwaiti official registering a complaint about the loss of his wallet, which, he stated, contained a considerable amount of Kuwaiti dinars, the offending official was approached and he categorically denied picking up the wallet; it was only after he was shown the footage of him picking up the wallet did he then return it. His intent, so say lawyers, was clearly mala fide.
When asked about the appalling incident, the Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry, as has become the norm with the newly installed Khan administration, blamed his predecessors by stating that most of the present bureaucrats had received their "moral training" during previous administrations. This approach is objectionable on two counts: first, it inaccurately reflects an incumbent government's influence over the training process of bureaucrats which is certainly not the case and, secondly, passing the buck on to one's predecessors for all that ails the country today is inappropriate and Chaudhry must be made aware that once a new administration is sworn in, all matters relating to government and its functions become its responsibility.
Disturbingly and perhaps unfairly, the expected offshoot of such an incident would be to look at our entire bureaucracy with suspicion, a condition that may not be fair to the majority of Pakistan's bureaucrats. But what all are agreed on is that the offending officer must receive punishment that would deter all future such attempts. There are serious questions as to what exactly should be the punishment of the officer? Should he be dismissed with or without a pension, or should he be demoted and allowed to remain in service or something else? These are difficult questions and one would hope that the government will not brush the matter under the carpet once public attention shifts elsewhere.
To conclude, the disturbing incident has raised serious questions about the ethics and morality training given to civil servants and needless to add there is a need to launch a significant retraining exercise in basic ethics and morality.