Inconvenient Truths: Pakistan's Governance Challenges by Tariq Khosa

Taking us through his distinguished career in the Police Service of Pakistan where he observed the workings of those in the highest echelons of power, Tariq Khosa explores the reasons for the ills gripping the country, especially in government and public service: an environment fraught with the fear of stepping on the wrong toes, in which facts are disputed, fundamental truth is questioned, lying and deceit are the norm, and unethical conduct is ignored, excused, or rewarded. He believes that public servants, especially police officers, have the power to shape a culture of honesty and transparency and, conversely, if they are dishonest, a culture of deception and corruption. He provides sensible and viable solutions for the problems plaguing Pakistan.

About the Author

Tariq Khosa joined the Police Service of Pakistan after taking the Central Superior Services Examination in 1975 and completing training from the Civil Services Academy Lahore in 1976. At mid-career in 1987–88, he was selected as a Hubert Humphrey Fellow under the Fulbright Exchange Programme at the Graduate School of Public Affairs, University of Washington, Seattle, USA. In 2005, he completed his Master’s degree in Defence and Strategic Studies from National Defence College, Islamabad.

As Inspector-General Police Balochistan he brought the entire province under police jurisdiction in 2007. He was Federal Secretary Narcotics Control Division (2010–11); co-chair Committee of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime Country Programme (2010–14); and Director General Federal Investigation Agency (2009) when he had the distinction of being elected to the INTERPOL Executive Committee (2009–12).

After retirement in 2011 he co-founded the Police Reforms Group in 2013, was a member of the team that drafted the Counterterrorism National Action Plan launched by the Government of Pakistan in 2015, and became member, Committee of Experts, National Counterterrorism Authority. He is also a member of the Geneva-based Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime. He writes on current internal security, governance, terrorism, and policing issues and wrote The Faltering State: Pakistan’s Internal Security Landscape.