The ad did not reflect any unique, unheard case of attempted corruption. In fact, these kinds of ads have been the norm rather than the exception for some time now. Many colleagues and other sources have shared with me that the unfair practices were still rampant. The reason I shared it with the PM was that he, among many other things, had vowed to make hiring’s in public sector transparent and devoid of political influence. A recent personal experience affirmed all those doubts, informing me that in case of hiring, ‘naya’ Pakistan is the same old Pakistan with little or no change.
Before I proceed, a few points of clarification are in the offing. One, the successful candidates for the post have yet to be announced, therefore I might very well be kicking away my chance (if any). But it is important to bring this to light. Second, this instance is being shared with the readers not to garner any sympathies, but to apprise them of something I experienced personally rather than hearing it from another person. This lends more credibility to the narrative.
In reply to my application for the ad, I received an interview call to appear at 1pm on a Friday. At first, I thought it must be some sort of mistake since this is the time for Friday prayers. But then a confirmation call came, asking me to appear at the mentioned time. Having no option but to appear, yours truly along with 20 other applicants reached our destination at the given time. After about half an hour, we were informed that it is time for a break for Friday prayers! Just imagine the breadth of stupidity of the person who scheduled the interview at that time. Why not call us after Friday prayers in the first place?
If this was beyond common sense, what lay in store was even more astounding. A few candidates were called before me, only to be given hardly five minutes. On my turn, I faced an interview panel comprising three persons: a PTI stalwart and two bureaucrats. Upon asked by the PTI member to introduce myself, I had hardly begun when he received a call and left the interview without bothering to listen. It was over to the senior bureaucrat then. He began with asking me about a CPEC related research paper of mine, written a few years ago. Among other things, the paper analysed ways that Pakistan can enhance trade and exports with China under CPEC. Folks, I kid you not that I almost fell off my chair when the person opined that trade is neither a component of the CPEC nor has it got anything to do with it! This was such an astonishing statement that it left me speechless.
Ignoring my bewilderment, he proceeded further by asking about power projects under the CPEC, specifically their rate of return (ROR). Now in case the readers are not aware, neither are the signed agreements for CPEC power projects nor their minute details (like ROR) available anywhere on the internet. When I said the same, the gentleman was adamant that they are publically available. I politely asked him to name a website where such information and documents are available, which led him to change the topic again. Hardly five minutes had passed when the gentlemen opined that they were looking for somebody who had exclusive CPEC-related experience rather than general research work. Put another way, he was telling me that my experience is not exactly a match for their demands. Upon asking why then was I shortlisted and where exactly was it stated in the ad that somebody with exclusive CPEC experience would be preferred, the reply came with a sheepish smile and “thank you for coming.”
In case you have not yet figured out what was going on, let me explain. In all probability, this constituted a ‘fixed match,’ also commonly referred to as ‘khana puri’ in desi lingo, something that Pakistanis are intimately accustomed to. But there is at least some sophistication to the charade to make it look like a worthwhile exercise. In this case, both the sophistication and the context were strikingly lacking. Above all, what it reflected was that even in ‘Naya’ Pakistan, things trudge along as they used to in purana Pakistan and there is no difference.
In these pages and in social media, I have lighted a number of malpractices in public sector hiring to drive home my assertion. For example, the illegalities and corrupt practices prevalent at the Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC) have been pointed out many times but yet there is not even an iota of attempt to get things right. The result is that emboldened by this nonchalance by those who are in power, the questionable tactics continue unabated. A recent example is yet another case involving the attempt to award a seat to an overage candidate, not the first time that such an instance has taken place. The maximum advertised age limit was 45 years. The candidate in question was well above that age at the time of application. But he still managed to sit in the test and final interview for the said post despite other candidates apprising both the secretary and chairman of the FPSC about this illegality (the overage candidate has been working on the advertised post for some time now). The president of Pakistan is the constitutional head of the FPSC, and his office has been previously apprised of such illegalities. Yet no action has been taken till date.
The fact of the matter is that there are not many in Pakistan who have interest in establishing meritocracy and transparency, not even the purveyors of ‘tabdeeli’. As Faizan Qayyum put it aptly, this is the same old Pakistan, albeit on a steroid of tabdeeli. The effects of that steroid have pretty much fizzled out in a year, and the show is being run by bureaucracy (plus those who cannot be named) as has always been the case. So, folks, in case you want to have a good shot at a job in Pakistan, the method remains the same: grease a palm or get a good reference. Otherwise, don’t be surprised if you get an interview call for 1pm on a Friday.
The writer is an economist