Devolution plan facing problems

The Pakistan government's devolution plan, launched with a fanfare of publicity, seems to have run into problem within three weeks of its introduction because of its confused planning.

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The Pakistan government's devolution plan, launched with a fanfare of publicity, seems to have run into problem within three weeks of its introduction because of its confused planning.

Aimed primarily at transfer of authority to grassroot institutions, the programme suffered from lack of vision and began to fall apart after it was hijacked by political parties, who the government had tried to keep at a distance.

A re-thinking had started to haunt its initiators before it was put to execution. An administration, jittery by the very thought of political interference, was forced to change its character.

It brought amendments in quick succession to clip the wings of those elected as councillors or their chiefs.

The Nazims and Naib Nazims (administrators and their deputies) were originally to be called Nazim-e-Aaala or lord mayors and deputy mayors, but once a conflict arose between the civil-military bureaucracy and the elected leadership, the heads of these local government institutions quickly came to be designated as district Nazims of city governments. It not only implied lowering of their status, but of prestige also.

These local councillors, elected on a country-wide basis, were promised moon in the beginning. A practical demonstration of the government's sincerity was also available when senior civil servants like the commissioner of a city or the deputy commissioners, working under him to take care of district administration, were placed under them.

The hesitation from an elite civil service was clearly visible, but quite a substantial number of its members accepted it as fait accompli.The rest of them looked reluctant to be subservient. The government refused to budge, making it plain that it meant business and was not ready to be blackmailed.

But the re-designation of offices was enough to relay messages to the bureaucracy that these grassroot democrats would only be allowed to work within limited parameters. Then another decision came. Police officers of the rank of senior superintendents, earlier ordered to work under the directive and guidance from the Nazims, were told to work as before.

A sword of damocles of disqualification for being politically affiliated had earlier been placed over these councillors. The governor of provinces have now been given authority to oversee the functions of these "elected representatives".

But the most shocking was the latest decision to post army monitors on these councillors. Fears that these decisions would reflect on their independence proved true when the Zila Nazim of Karachi, Prof. Niamatullah, stopped the transfer order for employees of Karachi Water and Sewerage Board. He was over-ruled within less than 24 hours by the military chief of the utility service.

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