A CAREER in the Central Superior Services (CSS) is no longer about public service. It has evolved into a ‘system’ that is much more about authority, social status and a lack of accountability. At its core is a deeper problem: corruption does not start with large-scale embezzlement; it begins with small, normalised violations.

Each year, thousands compete not simply to govern, but to belong. The aspiration is not service; it is status. CSS produces officers who are not merely administrators, but members of an exclusive order. Entry into bureaucracy is treated as a proof of ‘intellectual superiority’ and ‘moral legitimacy’, an assumption that shields behaviour from public examination.

Let us consider the routine misuse of state resources. Under the Rules for the Use of Staff Cars, 1980, official vehicles and fuel are strictly designated for public duties. Any private use must be recorded and charged. However, in practice, personal use of official cars is widespread and socially accepted. It is rarely seen as corruption; it is seen as a ‘perk’. The same pattern is visible in the digital sphere. The Government Servants (Conduct) Rules, 1964, explicitly restrict unauthorised public communication and require discretion. However, bureaucrats increasingly operate as social media influencers.

Such seemingly small violations accu-mulate into a culture. A culture produces expectations. And expectations reshape institutions. Minor violations and misuse of resources gradually evolve into a broader administrative culture. Corruption at higher levels is not an anomaly; it is the logical extension of tolerated behaviour at lower levels. Empirical indicators reinforce the consequences of such a culture.

Pakistan scored 29 out of 100 on the 2023 Corruption Perceptions Index issued by Transparency International, and was ranked 133 out of 180 countries. A system that tolerates small violations cannot prevent large ones.

When rules are ignored in everyday practice, they lose their due authority. When accountability is absent at the micro level, it collapses at the macro level.

Abdullah Tanseer
Bahawalpur

Published in Dawn, June 16th, 2026