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THE Holy Prophet (PBUH) is believed to have said that ‘paradise lies under the feet of mothers’; therefore, one must be good to their mother. The mother is the source of our coming into this world; she has supported us throughout her life.
Similarly, the state is also considered to be a ‘mother’ of all its citizens. Here, ‘the state’ refers to a country or a government that is seen as a nurturing or protective entity, akin to a mother caring for her children.
Every citizen, therefore, ought to be supportive of the ‘mother’ state’s efforts at developing the nation. It is also true that the state has a responsibility to oversee the welfare of all its citizens and defeat fissiparous tendencies. All citizens need state protection and fair treatment in official policies.
Presently, many states face divisive problems due to their unfair policies. States officially assert meritocracy in their policies, but in fact they promote nepotism and favouritism. Recently, a state-owned entity invited bids for a construction project. The bids were received and opened and the name of the lowest bidder was announced. But due to political pressure, the approved bid was cancelled. In Pakistan, some major state agencies and corporations have failed to achieve their business objectives because of the absence of merit in their policies.
Merit is a value with roots in Islamic teachings.
For the last many decades, a quota system has been in place in parts of Pakistan whereby, arguably, mediocre individuals are appointed against highly important posts and the culture of sifarish is thriving. This is causing brain drain and our country is losing brilliant, qualified and talented minds. Besides, those who cannot get jobs on merit and are unable to go abroad can fall into the clutches of extremists.
Unfortunately, Pakistan is a country where merit is mostly ignored. Consequently, we lag behind in many aspects of national life. Inefficient people run crucial government departments and fail to implement policies.
Our systems — taxation, recruitment, police, education etc — need to be reorganised by upholding the principle of meritocracy. The Punjab government, in a move aimed at ensuring merit and transparency, has recently constituted a search committee to oversee key appointments in its departments. Formation of such committees should hopefully usher in major administrative reforms to ensure institutional integrity and performance-driven governance.
The state should promote the concept of meritocracy where every decision should be taken on the basis of merit, where jobs, pay and allowances should be based on an individual’s talent and achievements rather than factors like social class, gender, ethnicity, etc. The state should not allow favouritism, nepotism and mediocrity; instead, it should create competitive opportunities, allowing all citizens to develop their potential. This will generate a strong sense of patriotism among citizens and they will fulfil their national obligations in accordance with the law. Pakistan has been blessed with talented youth; there is a need to hone this asset.
Besides, the state is required to undergo periodic introspection and identify challenges in order to set the right direction. This should make our society organised, progressive and competitive. In other words, merit is the foundation of progress. Every department of state should exercise transparency in the recruitment process and appoint employees on the basis of merit. Merit means appointing one who is well-qualified, competent and intelligent.
Merit is a value which has roots in Islamic teachings. The Holy Prophet in his mission always appointed companions who were staunch in faith, physically able and intelligent.
Thus, Islam promotes meritocracy. It does not explicitly use the term ‘meritocracy’, but advocates evaluating individuals based on their qualifications, morals, merits, skills and other contributions, rather than social status or lineage. In Islamic history, leading roles were allocated to those who used their potential. The Holy Quran says that man can have nothing but what he strives for (53:39), indicating the significance of merit.
In short, merit is the foundation of progress for every thriving society. It is the way to improve society. A society cannot advance if its most capable individuals are denied opportunities due to regional, ethnic or sociopolitical classifications.
There are countries which have rapidly progressed in all endeavours in the shortest possible time. This was due to meritocracy. They have rewarded their talented youth and have accommodated them. We need to replicate the same model in our society so that we also may progress.
The writer is an educationist with an interest in religion.
Published in Dawn, August 1st, 2025
