Depoliticising bureaucracy

Published November 5, 2008

APROPOS of H. H. Zaidi's advice on the above subject (Oct 25), may I request him to seek from the Sindh Governor's House files, a note of the year 1952 written by the then revenue commissioner, Sindh, wherein Sir Sidney Ridley had warned (on receipt of the governor's order empowering Mr Rashidi, revenue minister, to transfer mukhtiarkars) that

(i) ministers can only lay down policy and give directions for its implementation, and

(ii) if ministers are given powers of executive heads of department to transfer officers, there will be a complete chaos and if the practice is extended to other provinces, our Pakistan will be destroyed within 20 years.

Sir Sidney refused to continue extension of his contract to serve further and what became of Pakistan in 1971 is history.

RAHIM JUNEJO

Karachi

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