THIS is with reference to the article ‘Restructuring CSS’ (Aug 29), which identified a number of causes behind the chronic bad governance that has plagued Pakistan. While the article enumerated almost all the major causes of bad governance, it overlooked a fundamental cause: the quota system.

The system was introduced for a limited period of 15 years to provide a level playing field to people living in remote and underdeveloped areas. Over time, however, the original purpose of the quota system was largely abandoned, and it came to be used as a shortcut to secure lucrative government employment.

Candidates from the so-called ‘backward areas’, having gained entry through a system that prioritised quotas over merit, were then placed in charge of government offices and institutions. Politicisation and mediocrity gradually gave way to inefficiency, corruption and, ultimately, chronic bad governance.

The proposal in the said article to end the direct induction of military officers into the public service, bypassing the CSS examination, however, carries considerable weight. Such direct inductions have done little to improve governance and, in many instances, have only compounded the problem. The Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC) needs to adopt a genuinely open, merit-based system of recruitment.

The benefits of merit-based recruitment in public services are evident across much of the developed world where competence and professional ability form the basis of selection and advancement.

Should Pakistan not follow the same path? Why not? If merit-based recruit- ment has enabled other countries to build competent and effective public institutions, why should Pakistan not adopt the same principle to improve our governance and to enable Pakistan to grow and prosper?

Abid Mahmud Ansari
Islamabad

Published in Dawn, October 2nd, 2026