Former Governor of the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Dr. Ishrat Hussain has called for comprehensive civil service reforms across South Asia, warning that political interference in bureaucratic appointments, excessive centralisation of authority, outdated human resource management, and resistance to institutional change are undermining governance and public service delivery.
Addressing a group of senior Bangladeshi civil servants at the Executive Development Institute (EDI) of the National School of Public Policy (NSPP) in Lahore on Tuesday, he argued that a capable state requires a politically neutral, professionally competent, and accountable civil service, supported by strong institutions, effective local governments, and a vibrant civil society.
Dr. Hussain noted that administrative structures inherited from British colonial rule have largely survived independence, despite fundamental changes in the political, economic, and social requirements of the region. "The British had a very different objective.
Their goal was to have loyalist civil servants control the rest of India to extract resources for the colonial empire," he said, adding that the relationship between the administration and the public continues to reflect a master-and-subject mentality rather than a public service ethos.
He stated that civil servants in independent South Asian countries must abandon the colonial mindset and recognize themselves as servants of the people rather than masters of the administrative system. He observed that an ordinary citizen without political connections or the ability to pay bribes often faces difficulties accessing public officials, while politicians, legislators, influential individuals, and wealthy businesspeople easily gain access to government offices.
Discussing the excessive centralisation of administrative and financial authority, Dr. Hussain argued that local governments are indispensable to effective governance because communities are better placed to identify their own development needs and determine how limited resources should be utilized. He remarked that Pakistan's provincial governments have centralised powers and financial resources following the 18th Constitutional Amendment instead of devolving them to district-level administrations.
Similarly, decision-making at the federal and provincial levels has become increasingly concentrated in the offices of the Prime Minister and Chief Ministers. "This over-centralisation is inimical to the exercise of sovereignty by the people at the grassroots level," he observed.