Panjab Civil Administration Ordinance 2016 was bound to evoke the ire of the police as it had heaved a sigh of relief when the NRB during Musharraf ‘s era had introduced a new Police Order weakening or almost finishing the hold of the district magistrate over the district police. The policemen had distributed sweets after General Naqvi the then chairman of the NRB completed wrecked the institution of the DM in the so-called administrative reforms introduced by him in the early part of the year 2002.
There were many who had then advised him not to demolish the age old institution of the DM as it had been evolved after a great deal of trial and it provided a cushion to both the sitting government as well as the police in their public dealing. It was suggested to him that if there were any shortcomings in it the proper course is to rectify them instead of rooting out the office of the DM completely. What the NRB did instead was nothing less than throwing the baby out also along with the bath water.
Experience of hindsight has established that the demolition of the institution of DM did more harm than good to the public administration. Many law and order situations could have been avoided had the DM been in the field in command of the situation instead of the SP whose very sight to the agitating mob is akin to what is red rag to a bull.
One wonders how the Panjab government is going to put the clock back by restoring the institution of the DM to the position that existed on 1999 as police won’t allow this to happen for obvious reasons.
The elected local bodies should be dealing only with all the developmental activity in their jurisdiction. As far as law and order and implementation of local and special laws are concerned they had better be left to the district magistrate and the executive magistracy. The DM and the SDM must off and on carry out surprise inspections of the police stations located inside their bailiwick as was the case in the not-too-distant past.
- Latest
- Trending
