Abolition of district magistracy was a folly

The decision of NRB chief General Naqvi to abolish the institution of the district magistrate in 2002 was not a wise step. The judicial powers which the DM enjoyed under the criminal procedure code and many other local and special laws were taken back from him. They were instead conferred on the heads of other government department as well as on the police. Some of these powers were given to the Heads of the elected local bodies. That happened round about year 2000. While taking that decision a wrong impression was apparently given that since the institution of the DM was not functioning properly it was being dispensed with.
The powers that be soon realised their folly. They had to eat an humble pie when they decided to revive old district magistracy system but rather half -heartedly. Unless the system of civil administration that existed till the time when General Naqvi demolished it with one stroke of pen is revived in toto it won’t be able to deliver.
It was wrongly thought of by the NRB chief that the officials of the elected local bodies would exercise the judicial powers of the district magistrate better than the erstwhile DMs. Little did General Naqvi realise that the elected people are always shy of using force even if it essential in places where its use is necessary for maintaining law and order because they cannot afford annoying their voters. This is their inherent weakness . The civil servants, on the contrary , don’t have such weakness as they don’t have to contest polls.
It is in the evidence that because of lack of use of judicial powers vested in them in areas where their use was extremely necessary the law and order of the districts deteriorated during the period when the institution of the DM was not operative thus forcing the government to revive the district magistracy immediately. It goes without saying that the district magistrate before 2000 used to a cushion, a shock absorber between the rulers and the ruled and it was always proactive in defusing many a law and order situation by taking timely action.