The Crushed File and the Endless Queue: Will We Live to See a Sufarish-Free Kashmir?

We envision offices humming with competence, decisions made in the clear light of objectivity, and promotions earned, not bestowed.

Dr. Fiaz Maqbool Fazili
The dream is achingly simple: a Kashmir where advancement flows from skill and dedication, not whispered connections or greased palms. A land where “Sufarish” – the toxic currency of influence and recommendation – is obsolete, and the only passport to progress is merit. We envision offices humming with competence, decisions made in the clear light of objectivity, and promotions earned, not bestowed. Yet, standing in the suffocating shadow of that dream, often feels like waiting for a sunrise that never comes. The harsh reality confronts us daily, embodied in the defeated slump of a man clutching a paper file, his eyes reflecting a lifetime of disappointment, standing in an endless queue outside an office whose name we instinctively withhold. The burning question scalds the soul: Will any of us live to see this Kashmir? Does merit truly stand a chance when faced with the immovable mountain of systemic decay?
The scene is universal, only names change,”In Arabic it is called “waastaa,” elsewhere “recommendoma,”yet uniquely Kashmiri in its depth of despair. The queue snakes endlessly, a tangible manifestation of bureaucratic purgatory. Each person holds not just a file, but a fragment of their future – a job application, a transfer request, a pension claim, a sanction plea. The air hangs heavy not just with anticipation, but with the silent knowledge that the queue itself is often a cruel illusion. It suggests a first-come, first-served fairness, a system governed by order. Yet, the man with the file knows better. He has seen the side doors open for the well-connected. He has heard the hushed phone calls that bypass the line entirely. He has felt the subtle pressure to “know someone” or “make arrangements.” His file, meticulously prepared, representing hours of effort and hope, feels increasingly like a relic in a system that trades not in documents, but in favours. The disappointment etched on his face isn’t just for today; it’s the cumulative weight of promises broken, opportunities stolen, and faith eroded. In this queue, merit isn’t absent; it’s simply irrelevant. It’s drowned out by the louder clamour of connections and the silent efficiency of corruption.
The corrosion runs deep, far beyond the indignity of the queue. When promotions hinge on loyalty to a patron rather than professional achievement, competence atrophies. Why innovate, why excel, when the path upward is paved with sycophancy, not skill? The brilliant engineer sees their bridge design shelved while a connected contractor’s shoddy plan gets approved. The dedicated teacher watches a less qualified but well-recommended colleague leapfrog into a coveted position. The honest officer, refusing bribes, finds themselves perpetually transferred to hardship posts. The message is clear: integrity is a liability; merit is an optional extra. This breeds a vicious cycle. Talented individuals, seeing no future based on their abilities, either leave, succumb to the system, or retreat into apathy. The institution itself becomes hollow, staffed by the mediocre and the connected, incapable of delivering the basic services that would foster genuine public trust and development.
Is there a flicker of hope? Can this entrenched system be dismantled in our lifetime? The answer is neither simple nor comforting. Creating a truly meritocratic Kashmir requires a revolution, not just reform, attacking the disease on multiple fronts simultaneously:

1.⁠ ⁠Systemic Overhaul with Teeth: Anti-corruption bodies, vigilance commissions, service rules – are there . We need institutions armed with real power, genuine independence, technological forensic capabilities (to track digital footprints, not just paper files), and unwavering political backing. Transparent online portals for applications, transfers, and sanctions, with automated tracking and mandatory disclosure of decision rationales, can replace the opaque queue and the whispered “sufarish.”2.Cultural Annihilation of Sufarish: This is the hardest battle. “Sufarish” is woven into the social fabric, often disguised as helping kin or repaying obligations. A sustained, multi-generational campaign is needed. Public shaming of corruption (protected by strong whistleblower laws), celebrating merit-based successes loudly, and crucially, a societal shift where asking for and giving undue favours is seen as morally reprehensible, not socially savvy. Religious and community leaders must champion integrity as a core value.3. Noninterfering Leadership of Unimpeachable Integrity: Ultimately, systems reflect their leaders. We need leaders at every level – political, administrative, community – who not only preach meritocracy but live it fiercely. Leaders who refuse nepotism, who promote based on transparent performance metrics visible to all, and who hold even their closest allies accountable. This leadership must be visible, consistent, and willing to endure the inevitable backlash from entrenched interests.4. Empowering the Queue: Technology can empower the man with the file. Secure online grievance redressal with guaranteed timelines, accessible public dashboards showing application status and decision criteria, and mobile alerts replacing the agonizing uncertainty of the physical queue. When citizens know the rules and can see the process working (or not), they become active enforcers of accountability.
Will we live to see it? The honest answer is, perhaps not in its full, or in flourishing glory. Dismantling decades, if not centuries, of ingrained practice is the work of a generation. The man in the queue today might never see his own file processed purely on merit. But does that mean nothing works? Not entirely. Even within the decay, islands of integrity exist – the officer who refuses the bribe, the department head who insists on interviews, the young professional hired solely for their skills. These are not aberrations; they are the fragile seeds of the future Kashmir.
The transition will be messy, contested, and painfully slow. There will be setbacks, moments where the queue seems longer, the files heavier, the disappointment deeper. Yet, every whistle blown, every corrupt official held accountable, every transparently meritorious appointment made, every digital system replacing a manual, manipulable queue, is a step forward. It’s a chisel strike against the monolith.
We may not live to lounge in the full sunshine of a truly” Sufarish”-free Kashmir. But we can, we must, be the ones who stand stubbornly in the queue, not just with our files, but with our voices demanding change. We can be the ones who refuse to participate in the old games, who celebrate the islands of integrity, and who relentlessly push for the systemic overhaul. We may not see the summit, but we can choose to climb. The alternative – surrendering to the despair of the queue – ensures that the man with the file, and his children after him, will forever clutch their hopes, waiting in vain. The dream lives not in its guaranteed arrival within our lifespan, but in our unwavering refusal to stop working, demanding, and believing that a Kashmir governed by merit can, and therefore must, eventually rise. It starts with refusing to accept that the queue, and the disappointment it breeds, is the only reality.