When Institutions Fail Both the People — and Their Own People

Recently, I accompanied someone to an Anti-Corruption Department office in Pakistan, where he had filed a complaint in a property fraud case. I wasn’t directly involved — just there to help clarify the matter, as I had some background understanding of how the system works.

What I saw was deeply troubling.

Applicants were being mistreated, asked irrelevant questions, and in some cases even threatened into withdrawing their complaints. The behavior was so discouraging that many walked away without hope. There was no proper guidance, no dignity in the process — just confusion and fear.

The specific case I witnessed was simple — and should never have taken long to resolve. A man had purchased land and paid all official dues, including the FBR fee, through a government employee. The registry was processed and approved — and everyone assumed the fee had been paid.

But here lies the failure:

At the time of registry, no one in the office checked the actual status of the FBR payment. The system moved forward without verifying whether the required government dues had been deposited. This gap in oversight allowed the officer to quietly avoid depositing the fee — a basic yet critical breach.

Despite this clarity, the case remained unresolved for 21 hearings.

On the 22nd, I attended to help explain basic facts:

What is registry?

What is mutation?

What are the required government fees?

Who is responsible once money is collected?

These were elementary questions, but shockingly, not a single person in the office could answer them properly. I calmly presented the full picture — and only then was the case finally resolved.

But what hurt me most wasn’t the delay — it was who handled the case.

The officer was once my class fellow — a brilliant student, sharp and insightful. But in that office, he seemed like a stranger: disinterested, unsure, unaware of the basics. It was difficult to believe that this was the same person I had known.

That’s when it hit me:

This isn’t just about a department, or a case, or one mistake.

This is about what the system does to people. It wears them down. It removes initiative. It replaces knowledge with apathy. And in doing so, it fails both the citizens and the capable minds it once attracted.

Our issue was resolved. But many others weren’t — simply because the institution is no longer equipped to serve.

We must rebuild institutions where behavior matches the mandate.

Where justice doesn’t just depend on law, but on human decency and understanding.

🕊️ Justice begins with behavior — not just policy.