PESHAWAR: Claims of providing seamless basic amenities to citizens in government offices have been severely undermined, as the “tout culture”—an organized syndicate of middlemen—has taken deep root in public-facing departments such as the Revenue Department (land and property), Transport (driving licenses and vehicle registration), local government bodies, and police stations.
Ordinary citizens visiting these offices are forced to endure endless queues and make multiple rounds spanning days or weeks, whereas tasks are processed within minutes the moment agents are paid off. Complex bureaucratic procedures and the dilatory, stalling tactics of department employees have cultivated fertile ground for these agents to thrive. When a common citizen approaches an office for legitimate legal work, they are routinely harassed under the pretext of missing paperwork or technical legalities. Right at this juncture, the touts step forward posing as “helpful saviors.”
Reports indicate that besides official government fees, these middlemen extract three to five times extra in illicit payments. Touts enjoy unhindered access inside the cabins of relevant authorities; case files bypass public counters entirely and move forward exclusively through the hands of these agents. Meanwhile, the files of citizens who refuse to pay bribes languish for months gathering dust.
Although the government has digitized numerous services to ensure transparency and issued strict directives to implement anti-corruption policies, ground realities remain starkly different. Online portals frequently suffer from server downtime, application forms are unnecessarily complex, and active agent networks hovering around e-service centers have effectively hijacked the digital system. Lacking technical literacy, ordinary people easily fall prey to these agent traps.
Public circles point out that the tout culture is not only picking the pockets of citizens but also rapidly eroding public trust in the administration. Expressing deep concern, locals and civil society demand strict, concrete measures against the unholy nexus of corrupt officials and touts, warning that without such actions, all claims of administrative reforms will remain confined to paper. They have urged authorities to enforce rigorous closed-circuit television (CCTV) monitoring inside and outside office premises and to establish a transparent, immediate toll-free helpline for direct public complaints.
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