The 'thana culture of tyranny has been prevalent in our land since times of the Mughals and it was continued intact by the succeeding colonial power through a class of people that, according to Lord Macaulay, were Indian in blood and colour but English in taste, opinion, morals and intellect. This culture was a requirement of the absolute monarchs of ancient times as well as the colonial power of later because they had to subjugate the people by striking terror in their hearts and minds while they ruled. This instrument of terror has also come in handy for the rulers of Pakistan for whom the hybrid class of brown Englishmen in state bureaucracy was useful as ready accomplices to sustain them in power. The brown Englishmen owed allegiance to the ruling power they were sworn to serve. This allegiance was snapped after Partition and found a new master in the Pakistani elite. The upper handle of this power apparatus, the Deputy Commissioners and Commissioners (with their ever increasing concentration of power) still come in handy to rulers in 'controlling the general masses. That is why, despite all the hue and cry against it, the thana culture is here to stay as a part and parcel of the national administrative set up and cannot be wished away, nor cleansed or cured by sporadic show off of 'fire-fighting. Some deviation in the basics became somewhat visible in the Local Government Act and Police Order 2002 but the tide has been successfully stemmed and the 'damage reversed since then. Besides, certain crucial items of the Act were never implemented anyway. The will to bring about change is simply not there. So the thana culture, as an essential part of this sprawling, well-entrenched power system is destined to continue -KHALID FARUQ, Lahore, August 24.