Saleem Mubarak
Lights, camera, action! Once the mantra of film sets, now apparently the secret toolkit of our bureaucrats—ready to “serve” the flood-hit masses with all the efficiency of a Hollywood blockbuster.
As the waters recede, the Punjab government, tirelessly striving to protect victims, should consider launching the Academy Award for “Best Flood Selfie & Video.” Because clearly, our bureaucrats are in desperate need of a little cinematic recognition.
TikTok Governance in Action
It is said that bureaucracy is like a river—you wait a long time, it moves slowly even in an emergency, and sometimes it floods just to remind you who’s in charge. But in Pakistan, some government officers have discovered a faster path to fame: TikTok, Instagram, and endless self-filming.
Forget about solving problems or helping people, even during these days when floods wreck havoc in the country. Suddenly, filing complaints or helping citizens seems optional; posing, acting, and looking “heroic” has become mandatory–because why save lives when you can save your profile picture?
CM Works, Bureaucrats Pose
During the recent floods, Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz burned the midnight oil, coordinating relief, supervising rescue operations, and making sure departments worked together, come what may.
Amid this crisis-like situation, some Assistant Commissioners, Deputy Commissioners, and even senior police officers were busy perfecting their “action hero” shots. Floodwaters? Trivial. Collapsing roads? Minor details.
The important things are hair, hand gestures, and the perfect slow-motion walk for the camera. Next time, they will have sandbags posing for selfies, too.
People are battling the wrath of nature and furious due to the overacting of some bureaucrats. The overacting by some officers in Punjab has overshadowed the real heroes—the CM, the army, and the Rescue 1122–who rescued people, delivered food, and were busy resettling the victims.
Bureaucrat Selfie Floods Take Center Stage
In other words, the TikTok stars are trying to steal the show while citizens suffer– apparently, likes are more important than lives.
Instead of reframing from the objectionable path, the female officers have also joined the bandwagon. Uniforms have become costumes, offices have become stages, and police cars are now props. The motto seems to be: “Why save lives when you can save your Instagram reputation?”
A couple of months ago, the officers were banned by the Inspector General of Punjab Police, Dr. Usman Anwar, from using social media for self-promotion. However, it is a reality and irony that only junior officers fear being punished, while senior officers continue to film citizens without permission, rake in likes, and model like runway stars. Because rules are for the little people.
Bureaucracy or Circus?
If this trend is not bridled, the bureaucracy will soon become a circus as they violate citizens’ privacy with impunity, respect for officials disappears, and people remain unsure whether the officer in front of them will take action—or just take a selfie.
The solution to this dilemma is simple: remove the fame-obsessed officers immediately after the floods and send them to a “rehab center for social media addiction.”
Rehab could include daily exposure to real disasters without the access to the latest mobile phones and the internet. Government service is for helping citizens, not for collecting likes at public expense.
Pakistan’s Next TikTok Star?
Next time you encounter an officer comfortably posing in front of flood victims, remember: your taxes are funding his or her audition–including dramatic sighs and slow-blinking shots– for “Pakistan’s Next TikTok Star.”
Meanwhile, we must make arrangements to acknowledge the real heroes who go unnoticed amid such scenarios while people continue to suffer.
One must remember that serving the public is not about cameras, hashtags, or filters. It’s about action, courage, and honesty. If officers want fame, they should turn to Bollywood, because Hollywood will not be satisfied with their performance.
Leave the floods and citizens alone, and try to test your mettle in the film industry.
Excellent work