- Merit based
The government’s decision to replace political appointees with career diplomats in foreign missions is welcome, and sets the tone for similar cleansing in other departments. Past governments routinely stuffed government organisations with favoured political workers as well as personal friends and patrons, causing immeasurable harm to the country. The last government’s last-minute appointment of current US ambassador Ali Jahangir Siddiqui was a particularly embarrassing example. He was given charge of the most important and sensitive foreign posting, at a time of dangerous Pak-US tension, just because of personal and business relations with the former PM. That he faces charges of embezzling Rs40b, insider trading and investing in foreign countries (which cost Pakistan to the tune of billions), clearly did not bother the previous administration.
Such appointments are damaging in more ways in one. Since they are mode for personal reasons, it’s not surprising that such ambassadors do not usually do the best job of pursuing the home country’s interests. And they also leave a particularly bad impression on the host country. When the Americans, and others, see such inexperienced people put on such sensitive positions just because of business leverage they also wonder who to talk to regarding serious bilateral matters.
Perhaps the PTI government should invest more time in such proactive, and productive, initiatives than the anti-corruption with hunt its leaders keep shouting about. By letting the legal machinery take its course, and concentrating on removing inefficiencies from the system, they will not only take the sting out of opposition protests but also do a far greater service to the nation. Now that professional people will represent the country, hopefully they will be able to argue Pakistan’s position more effectively as it looks to reset its foreign policy by combining it with trading and commercial interests.
