ISLAMABAD, April 2: The colossus of Pakistan government's machinery rests on that relic of the colonial era, the naib qasid, whose strength of over 100,000 costs the exchequer as much as Rs6 billion annually.

An average rural district, according to government figures obtained by Dawn, has about 500 naib qasids (NQ). This multiplied into 100 districts raises the figure to 50000. An average naib qasid, literally translated as deputy messenger, gets a salary of Rs3300 including allowances. Just the salary bill of this corps of 500 NQs in each district amounts to nearly Rs20 million annually. Nationally, this figure stands at approximately Rs2 billion annually.

The cost of NQs in district governments alone, if pensions are added (at approximately 50 per cent of their salary formula), shoots to Rs3 billion every year. The total national price tag may come to about Rs6 billion if one calculates the cost of naib qasids employed at tehsil, provincial and federal tiers, not to forget the autonomous bodies, based on these projections.

What do these 100,000 naib qasids accomplish? A naib qasid opens the door for the 'saab' when he enters the office, carries his files and places them in order, fetches napkin when required, cleans table after lunch, serves tea and stands by on buzzer. He is supposed to run errands for officers. Basically, he gives the officer that aura of sahib that has attracted millions of young enthusiasts to 'superior' services.

If the post of naib qasid is abolished, many believe, the attitudinal edifice of what are contemptuously called 'babus' will crumble to the level of ordinary public overnight. It might happen any time this year as it is being finalized as part of the civil service reforms. There are financial reasons to trim this army of naib qasids as well. On an average each district has a development budget of about Rs15 million.

In contrast, the cost of naib qasids alone is Rs20 million, an approximately Rs5 million more than the cost of development in each district. This means that if this post is abolished in districts, their development budget will double instantly.

The ratio of development against non-development expenditures in bigger district is even worse. Rawalpindi district, for instance, spends about Rs280 million on development, whereas its non- development expenditure is a whopping Rs2.35 billion. In simple terms, Rawalpindi's development cost is just 8.3 per cent of its total expenditure with 70 per cent of this going to education. Small wonder that the conditions of sewerage, street pavements and lights, cleanliness in Rawalpindi is so bad. There is simply no money left for that.

The situation may be even more alarming as the size and the cost of naib qasids has been calculated on the low side. Most rural districts have more than 500 naib qasids. In urban districts, particularly in big cities, their strength is sometimes more than double. The rough number of NQs, based on projections, stands at 10,000 at tehsil level, another 10,000 at provincial level and a whopping figure of 30,000 in the federal government.

Besides an army of NQs in federal departments, particularly in the Railways, autonomous bodies like Wapda and PTCL are flooded with NQs. The private sector presents a sharp contrast. In companies even the top executives open their doors, carry their things and make their tea. Generally, there are office boys, one for roughly 50 employees, whose job description is official rather than colonial.

The problem is that, as a preliminary government report on civil service reforms point out, naib qasids instead of facilitating work create hurdles. More often than not, they are a source of minor corruption, like expediting the mobility of files or putting a favoured file on top, leaking inside information or providing access to particular people while barring others. They are made to tell lies - the most common being that 'saab' is in a meeting. Without these intermediaries the 'saab' has a better chance of becoming the 'public servant' that he was initially meant to be.

In rural districts particularly they are highly politicized. As most of them are recruited through political patronage, this being the most common 'sifarish,' they are sometimes found spying for their respective politicians or favouring their biradaris. The question remains: Can government work without naib qasids? Actually, better, points out the report.

In this day and age, says the report, there are no divisions, bordering on racism, where naib qasids are reserved for what are considered as menial works. Officers, like everywhere else in the developed world, do their own work, says the report. This not only increases efficiency but also rids them of the 'babu' attitude they are accused of.

The ongoing debate in government circles is about the nature of these reforms. Whether NQs should be given a golden handshake, offered alternative jobs or simply sent home. Whatever the result, there is almost a consensus that the government should not hire more NQs.