Barrister Naveed Qazi
The Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) Punjab has filed an FIR against Mr. Muhammad Iqbal Sanghaira, Additional Deputy Commissioner Revenue (ADCR) Sialkot, and arrested him. Court proceedings have extended his remand to facilitate recovery operations, with reports suggesting that a significant amount of money has already been recovered. While Khawaja Asif has voiced his anger over the arrest, the ACE process continues — with the PML-N leader observing events from a safe political distance.
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The case of Iqbal Sanghaira is not an isolated instance of misconduct. Allegations claim that he played a central role in managing Form 47 in favour of Khawaja Asif during the 2024 general elections, allegedly overturning the actual result in Sialkot City where PTI candidate Rehana Dar had secured a lead of over 50,000 votes. Political and bureaucratic insiders suggest that Sanghaira’s intervention helped Khawaja Asif claim victory. However, he was not alone — more than 250 Returning Officers across the country stand accused of manipulating ballot results to defeat PTI candidates.
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What makes this case particularly interesting is the political context. The PML-N government, a direct beneficiary of Sanghaira’s alleged actions, is now leading the charge against him. This contradiction raises an uncomfortable question: why would a political party punish a civil servant who allegedly worked to secure its electoral success? Even more perplexing, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz — herself accused of benefiting from manipulated Form 47 results in her own constituency — is presiding over this accountability drive. Under what moral authority can such leadership act against others for offences they themselves are accused of?
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The reality is that Iqbal Sanghaira’s case mirrors the conduct of more than half of Pakistan’s bureaucracy, where rent-seeking, political partisanship, and abuse of authority are entrenched. This network of mutual dependency between politicians and civil servants thrives on the understanding that loyalty will be rewarded with protection. Sanghaira, like many others, appeared confident that his political patrons would shield him from accountability.
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That confidence, however, proved misplaced. Once his political utility diminished, Sanghaira became expendable. This is a classic feature of patronage politics — loyalty is transactional, and protection lasts only as long as it serves political interests. The same politicians who defend you today may sacrifice you tomorrow to protect their own image or to demonstrate a cosmetic commitment to “anti-corruption” reforms.
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The key lesson for civil servants is stark: when you sell your soul to political power, you are only valuable until you outlive your usefulness. Political actors — like all power brokers — do not rescue their enablers when trouble arises. Instead, they distance themselves, leaving their former allies to face the full brunt of legal and public scrutiny. For civil servants, the only sustainable loyalty is to the Constitution, the law, and the public interest.
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To address this systemic dysfunction, Pakistan must introduce structural reforms to insulate the civil service from political manipulation. Election duties, especially the appointment of Returning Officers, should be assigned to a separate, independent electoral cadre rather than drawn from the general bureaucracy. This would reduce the risk of political interference in the vote-counting process.
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Moreover, a strong whistleblower protection framework is essential so that civil servants can resist political pressure and report wrongdoing without fear of reprisal. Training programs on ethical governance and professional integrity should be institutionalized to foster a culture of service to the law, not to the ruler.
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The downfall of Iqbal Sanghaira is a cautionary tale. It reveals the fragility of political alliances and the danger of placing personal ambition above professional duty. For the bureaucracy to reclaim its credibility, it must act as a neutral guardian of the public trust rather than as a political instrument. The moral is clear — serve the law, not the politician.
