THE art of politics lies in saying ‘Yes’ and the art of leadership in saying ‘No’; we in Pakistan have plenty of politicians but hardly a leader. When it comes to making far-reaching decisions, our top man is usually just good enough to sign above the dotted line under the manipulative plans presented by either the khakis or the babus.

One such recent decision was the approval of the induction of 20 Baloch officers of the army into the civil service under the pretext of achieving adequate representation of Balochistan in the country’s civilian bureaucracy. Primarily, officers of the ranks of captain or major will permanently be inducted into the Pakistan Administrative Service (PAS) in grade 17.

I do not question the intentions of the government, but such decision-making should be backed by analysis. If a prime minister who has a third term in office is not mindful of the sentiments of his people, then a stable Pakistan anywhere in the near future is a fool’s paradise.

Here is the analysis which I wish had been done by the prime minister’s office.

First and foremost, everything legal is not necessarily legitimate. If nepotism is passed into law, it won’t be illegal any more but will remain illegitimate. This is exactly what was done by Gen Ziaul Haq when, in order to appease his parent institution, he introduced the annual induction of officers from the armed forces into the civil service without taking the requisite exam. Such induction, besides being a violation of the rules of merit, is also an insult to the officers of the armed forces which go by the slogan ‘men at their best’.

If an army officer desires to become a diplomat, a public administrator or a police officer, the only gentlemanly way of doing this would be to pass the CSS exam with flying colours and be inducted on the basis of the quota for each province. Instead of revoking what was wrong in principle, the government has reinforced it with the latest decision.

Secondly, if the argument is of extraordinary circumstances calling for extraordinary concessions, even then the induction is illogical since the army also has a limited number of Baloch officers and Baloch representation is required there as much as it is in the civil service.

Third, given an uncomfortable history, the army is not regarded with absolute trust by the people of Balochistan, and inductions from the armed forces would be considered an infringement of the rights of Baloch youth. These officers would be considered representatives of the army rather than representatives of the Baloch. Hence, the purpose behind the induction falls flat on its face.

Though the issue of sparse Baloch representation in the civil service is relevant, the solution proposed by the government is not. Instead, steps taken ought to uphold merit in letter and, more importantly, in spirit. The age limit for entering the civil service should be relaxed by a minimum of seven years for candidates from Balochistan to ensure a level playing field; presently, candidates from developed areas with plenty of educational institutions get a head start as compared to Baloch students. The Pakistan Army has successfully done this for recent recruitments of soldiers from Balochistan.

The benchmark for aspirants from Balochistan should be lowered. The CSS exam requires an aggregate of 50pc for a candidate to qualify but if for Baloch candidates this was lowered to 45pc, the heavens would not fall. A couple of years ago the Pakistan Navy successfully inducted officers from Balochistan in the Short Service Commission without going through the Inter-Services Selection Board. The army also relaxed physical standards to an acceptable degree in recent recruitment. In the long term, precise guidance and plentiful scholarships for Baloch students to study in developed areas would be useful.

These steps are imperative because only the lion-hearted Baloch can brave the pogrom of innocent Hazaras, the abduction of civilians, the use of disproportionate force by the state in the form of military operations which killed their most venerated leaders, and still not choose the ways of outlawed organisations such as the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan. Be it diversity in culture or richness of natural resources, Balochistan brings a lot to Pakistan that must be valued and protected.

Lastly, the prime minister must be requested to refrain from robbing the Baloch university student of his dream of becoming a civil servant by doling the position out to an already privileged lot. Similarly, the brave young woman who refuses to give up on the journey of learning despite losing her friends when a bomb ripped through their college bus deserves a fair shot at her dreams.

The writer is a civil servant.

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