How I restored order at Pakistan Science Foundation

For a nation, when disorder becomes a way of life, it invariably leads to a collapse. We, the first-born free generation of Pakistan, have painfully witnessed this journey leading towards the prevalent disorder. Sardar Sherbaz Khan Mazari’s book is titled ‘A journey towards disillusionment.’ He has covered the era from Ayub Khan to Zia. Shaukat Hayat Khan wrote ‘The Nation that lost its soul: Memoirs of a Freedom Fighter.’ Air Marshal Asghar Khan penned down ‘We’ve learnt nothing from history.’ At the end of his innings, even Ayub Khan realised that in the international arena there are no friends, only interests. His biography is titled ‘Friends not Masters.’

As a child growing up on the Mall, we were eyewitnesses to this disorder. There was an elected Mayor who ran the city from the Town Hall, which was called LMC (Lahore Municipal Corporation). This was the main artery of the city, about eight kilometers in length, starting from the Mayor’s office all the way up to the foot of the Mian Mir bridge. On the other side was the cantonment run by the Lahore Cantonment Board (LCB). Lahore was a functional city. Every morning when I walked to school, the roads were wiped and garbage removed. LOS (Lahore Omnibus Service) provided public transport. The area under the jurisdiction of LCB was primitive. As property was leased, very few civilians lived there. We seldom crossed the bridge. Fortress Stadium was there, where the 23rd March Parade was held, which attracted Lahorites.

Lahore, till the decade of the seventies, was an orderly city. Decline started in the decade of the eighties. Nepotism overrode merit. Institutions were weakened; mafias took control. On August 15, 2002, I took charge as Chairman Pakistan Science Foundation (PSF). My teacher and guide, Dr Misbahuddin Shami, was one of the founders of this prestigious organization created for promotion of the technological advancement of the country. When I entered the building at 8am, it was being cleaned, and most offices were empty. Only the Chairman’s personal staff were there to receive their new boss. Gradually, the officers and the staff arrived. I could sense the prevailing casual attitude towards work. On the very first day, I issued three orders: the building was to be cleaned before the office hours started, I would have a daily operations review meeting with my immediate reports at 8am every morning, and at 3pm there would be the Chairman’s address.

The tone was set. Only a slight relaxation was agreed for the daily 8am meeting. The time was changed to 8:15am. By 9am, everyone had to be in a meeting. Every function started on time. Documentation was disorganized; files were not traceable. Three levels of record keeping were introduced: departmental, Chairman’s office, and my own files that I maintained. Several approved positions were kept vacant to accommodate relatives. I decided to fill all vacancies purely on merit. Perhaps this was the most difficult task to accomplish, but it was undertaken in the long-term interests of the institution. Order was restored. The Foundation started to lead the crusade of technological advancement for which it was created in the year 1973 through an act of parliament.

For effective communication, the colonists had introduced a diary system. Every letter that was received was given a diary number with a date for traceability and necessary action. Even that age-old system has become non-functional. Departments refuse to accept letters. Even FIRs (First Information Reports) are not registered by police stations. Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto (ZAB), the first elected Prime Minister of the country, was convicted on the basis of the FIR registered against him for the murder of the father of a political opponent. No such latitude is possible today in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Order has to be restored. Even small steps can make a big difference. Office hours must be displayed and strictly observed. Documentation that once existed has to be restored. Records have to be kept and protected. Merit has to be restored for appointments and promotions. Registration of FIRs should be automated. The diary system can be restored. Modern acts like Right to Information and Consumer Protection must be taken seriously to restore order that once existed. Disorder leads to disaster, which must be avoided at all costs. Running away will not help. It is time to dig in and reverse this disorderly conduct that prevails in the land of the pure to tarnish its purity. Together we can make a difference.