Khawaja Asif calls bureaucracy Pakistan’s real rulers

ISLAMABAD: Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has criticised Pakistan’s bureaucracy. He described it as the country’s “real and permanent rulers.”

Asif said bureaucrats had remained largely beyond effective accountability during Pakistan’s 78-year history. He said politicians had faced accountability on numerous occasions. Other powerful groups had also been held accountable at different times.

However, he said it was difficult to find similar examples involving senior bureaucrats.

The defence minister made the remarks while sharing a social media post about alleged financial corruption involving a senior bureaucrat.

Asif said the bureaucracy had gradually become a powerful and largely untouchable class. He questioned why bureaucrats had not been subjected to the same level of scrutiny as politicians.

According to Asif, politicians themselves were partly responsible for the situation. He said political leaders had failed to establish an effective system to hold the bureaucracy accountable.

The minister also referred to a former bureaucratic ruler while discussing the influence of senior officials in Pakistan.

He said the former official used highly inappropriate and insulting language against politicians. Despite this behaviour, politicians continued to tolerate him, according to Asif.

Asif’s comments highlight his criticism of the imbalance in accountability among powerful sections of Pakistani society. His remarks also raise questions about the role of the bureaucracy in governance and decision-making.

The minister maintained that stronger accountability was needed for all powerful groups. He suggested that politicians could not blame bureaucrats alone for the existing system because political leaders had also contributed to its continuation.