Meritocracy.

Byline: Air Cdre (r) Khayyam Durrani - Karachi

IN a tribal society, belonging to a noble family, lineage and tribal/ethnic considerations were considered an essential part of merit.

One would recall that in the good old days, the sentence: 'I belong to a noble family' formed an essential part of any job application. Though a lot of lip-service is being paid to meritocracy, still the

sifarish culture is so deep-rooted in our society that not to look after your relatives, village mates, or kinsmen is considered ignoble.

A person who rises to a high position and tries to act on merit is considered rude and mean if he does not take care of kith and kin.

The prevailing tribal quotas and reserved seats at the discretion of the topmost office-holders and other dignitaries...