RECOMMENDOMa”--wasst A -GREASEING The Evil of Sifarish

RECOMMENDOMa”-- - The Evil of Sifarish Evl of ‘sifarish’- How to win friends & influence people….. Sifarish- Is it possible to get things done,without "I found every single successful person I've ever spoken to had a turning point. The turning point was when they made a clear, specific unequivocal decision that they were not going to live like this anymore; they were going to achieve success by any known or unethical methodology .or compromise.." ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- “Is Anything possible in K-land without,,,,?“Waasta “ in Arabic,”sifarish” in urdu ,the closest synonym in English could be “unmerited recommendation” ,or “recommendoma as some of my friends loosely pronounce it ,“but it does not convey the whole meaning and connotation of “waasta or sifarish”.tody whe I am talking about ….. The meaning of the Urdu word "sifarish" is not merely to recommend or praise somebody as is done in testimonials,or I caution for not jepradising somesn; genuine rigts ,but it entails sort of a immoral pressure to influence a decision in favor of the person recommended. An acquaintance of mine is now serving as an officer. Interestingly, he failed twice in selection interviews. Remembering his words ,”it is so hard that a normal student like me shouldn't even think about competing for merit list .and that i should choose some other field like farming. i hate sifarish ,sorry but i do suffer like this. i smile at the time but when alone he cried and asked ALLAH ,”why am i not special like all those people who do pass and qualify in CSS ,are they batter then me ? ( sorry pyare ALLAH JEE ). In today's world, yesterday's methods, merit;hardwork;dedication, just don't work. In Getting Things Done .? but i do believe you guys , please please tell me ,should we leave hope that anyone without x-factors of sifarish or chai can clear selection tests with hard work ,devotion ( without sifarish /rishwat ). or my friends and family is right and i am just foolish/ Can an average aam aadmi hope to get things done in any office on routine basis ? Most certainly. I know people who were anything but brilliant in their School and College days but have somehow managed to reach …status,position.My reassuring words “Keep your faith in ALLAH. He certainly rewards those who work for it. Why you are thinking such a type of things , it will degrade your confidence . Be positive ,and believe in Allah = You would InshaAllah make it in selection tests as you have been preparing since you were… I can quote hundred examples that how people from very low profiles changed their fate by hard work. Best of Luck ,. “ Most probably my ritual fatwa stereo type shorthanded speech didn’t lure my relative –his sarcastic smile had an answer to my …. Be optimistic and trust in God.You will be blessed with what you have in your destiny provided hard work,consistency,devotion and diligence on your part.No one can snatch your right from you. where Three fundamental techniques in handling people--, "it changed my life how to win friends & influence people-the is sifarish. Three fundamental techniques in handling people- I thought he read that famous book written by by Dale Carnegie For more than sixty years the rock-solid, time-tested advice in this book has carried thousands of now famous people up the ladder of success in their business and personal lives ,but my relative had read special yellow pages,|The currency of chai,bakshish doesn’t work for im-moral priests,but …..you may dress it with a fancy non ntoxic names like,”reference - The six ways to make people like you-* The twelve ways to win people to you way of thinking;* The nine ways to change people without arousing resentment- I don't think there is any place in the world where one can make something happen purely on merit...everyone requires a "helping hand" somewhere along the line...the sad part is that in our land we have made it part of the process, not an exception to the rule The cancer of ‘sifarish’ Sifarish is not necessarily bad. Based on a couple of experience in IBA, i have had to use connections just to get the right decision to be made. For e.g. an innocent guy was about to be expelled from IBA, he was accussed of misbehaving with a teacher, he just had a disagreement with the teacher over his grading and teaching methods, the teacher was a dictator, used scare tactics, used to get personal with students, couldnt tolerate any honest open criticism, this student had the guts to stand up to him and to prove him wrong. The teacher didnt like it one bit and failed him in one of the exams, the student protested, stood up for himself and even proved the teacher biased and flawed in front of all the students. But unfortunately as happens all over Pakistan in positions where strong people abuse their authority, the teacher complained against the student for misbehavior and harassment. The student in turn accused the teacher of being biased, egoistic, attention seeker and unfit. But the administrator (the guy responsible for discipline) just doesnt have the decency and manners to talk to students, whenever a student enters his office, he starts screaming, shouting threatening immediately even if you are in the right or wrong and literally cows you down as a result with the common repeated threat "I will kick you out of the university in one second, it will take one signature". The administration unfairly did not even listen to the poor student and were about to expel him from the institute even though he had a flawless history and did nothing wrong but to stand up for himself in this case. So someone informed me about this and requested me to help him out after telling me about the entire case. I had to call up my dad, who in return made some phone calls and two days later the student was called to the office and forgiven/let off even though his notice of expulsion was even prepared. The teacher got miffed in the end and there were considerable cold vibes b/w the student and teacher understandable. It was the first time a student got the better of him. Bottom line, only in a country like Pakistan you have to use extra, under the table, illegal means just to get your right, to get whats fair to you, to defend and to protect yourself and i believe everyone has the right to defend himself and to protect himself. People sitting outside Pakistan have no right to question and criticize people for the sifarishi culture in pakistan because in reality they have absolutely no idea about living in Pakistan and surviving here to be honest. I totally agree... it just seems as some overseas Pakistanis just need excuses to undermine Pakistan. First you should try living there and then come up with such thread Let us all join hands to rid this country of the menace of sifarish and develop a culture of respecting the merit-based system The almost universal practice of ‘sifarish’ does not raise any eyebrows and has become an accepted social norm. It is hardly realised that the almost universal practice of sifarish does not raise any eyebrows and has become an accepted social norm. It is surprising that a majority of people who otherwise consider themselves quite honest and above any pecuniary temptations think that there is nothing wrong about resorting to sifarish for appointments, postings, transfers, admissions and contracts. Leave aside the politicians who are compelled to favour their constituencies in order to win votes, well-meaning individuals from other walks of life, too, do not hesitate to oblige others. The tentacles of sifarish have spread so ferociously throughout the system that they resemble cancer cells. The toxic effects of a single act may be insignificant in the view of the person resorting to this practice but the aggregate damage to the system is highly pernicious. There is no social ostracisation but commendation for those who intervene. This implicit social approval has fortified and multiplied the numbers of those who indulge in this practice. The cost-benefit calculus favours the latter as there is ‘no pain but all gain’. Let us trace the consequences of this disease on the economy and society through three examples. First, if teachers are appointed not on the basis of merit but on that of sifarish we should not expect any improvement in the quality of instruction, the grooming of our younger generations or the discipline in their lives. Teachers remain absent from their duties because they are protected by their patrons. No disciplinary action can be taken against them because their supervisors hesitate to take any. If they do, they are certain that nothing will come of it and they’ll only end up antagonising their powerful patrons. The effect on other teachers otherwise discharging their duties faithfully is revealing. These teachers realise they should also seek out some influential person as there is no penalty for deviant behaviour and no reward for good deeds. Poor educational outcomes, high dropout rates, an army of virtually illiterate young men and women unable to find productive jobs are natural. These people are either condemned to poverty or fall prey to extremists, criminals and other anti-social elements worsening the law and order situation in the country. These unemployed people respond readily to calls for protest. The next sector is the police department. It is highly paradoxical that a policeman is feared by an ordinary citizen who thinks he will be subjected to extortion and ill treatment while criminals and mafias are at ease when it comes to carrying out their nefarious activities. For induction into the ranks of the police there is either money or sifarish involved. To recover the money inductees have spent to get into the force they resort to extortion. In the case of sifarish, they can act with impunity because they can always turn to their patrons for coming to their rescue. This symbiotic relationship may be more harmful because the person applied to for sifarish had unwittingly obliged only a relative/friend without realising the adverse consequences of his action. The worst damage to our future survival is being committed by admissions and examination results based on sifarish. We all complain about the absence of competence and professionalism in public service, even in the private and NGO sectors. If deserving and talented students are deprived of the opportunity to acquire higher education and mediocre students take their place the result would be obvious and should not surprise anyone. It is quite common to come across students achieving top positions through these nefarious means at the inter board examinations failing to clear IBA admission tests. I am asked a difficult question when I address public-sector university students: ‘Why should I study hard when I know that the relative of an MNA with lower marks than mine will get the job?’ Sifarish is a routine matter for the majority because of the societal norms of lihaz, sharam and murawwat that are expected from all those who are in a position to exercise influence. Sometimes it is a reciprocal arrangement whereby I help your son get admission to a prestigious institution while you repay me by getting mine appointed to a lucrative public-sector job. If a person refrains from sifarish he faces the wrath of his family, circle of friends, biradari, kinship etc. That is why sifarish has become so ingrained in our national DNA and is spreading like cancer making our institutions dysfunctional and weakening the state’s writ.