Rule in Sindh – The First Few Weeks
A cross section of the citizens of the city were invited by the Governor to get their reaction as to (1) the promulgation of Governor’s Rule and (2) how to make it effective. All the 20 odd or so people assembled in that room spoke for the imposition of Governor’s Rule, they lauded the Federal Government.
The other day the Governor Sindh, Lt Gen (Retd) Moinuddin Haider, invited at short notice Government for taking the bold step and “saving the city”. As regards making the rule effective, a few did counsel focussing on macro issues but the majority were more concerned with micro issues. The Governor cannot do everything, he has to conserve his energies and authority. This is possible by concentrating on the macro factors in order to re-build the institutions that have been destroyed over the past several years, at least to the level of their original potential.
To a great extent there is a semblance of peace in the Province, particularly in the ravaged city of Karachi. Since the city was burning, the Governor had first to douse the fire. Solid soldier and good man, Moin Haider went along with the principle of “Selection and Maintenance of Aim”. This has been largely successful because of the low intensity operation to contain terrorism, an almost invisible campaign that has had the desired effect of lowering the panic-like situation that had almost reduced the city to a state of anarchy. Raids conducted are well targeted and though not always successful the ratio of success to failure is good enough to give the perception of effectiveness. Military Courts have started functioning and as expected they have leaned over backwards to give as much benefit of doubt to the accused as humanly possible. However, despite the relative success of the Police and the Administration, the two major appointments in the Province, that of the Chief Secretary and the Inspector General of Police are occupied by persons in whom the intelligentsia and the public do not have much confidence in. The mass perception is that only non-controversial clean individuals must occupy these posts. Governor’s rule will hardly be able to change the attitude or the corruption potential of subordinate staff, particularly at the SHOs, Head Constable level but really what he has to do is to find people from the ACs and DSPs upwards who will honestly deliver the goods and be held accountable for their actions.
The buzzword in the general public is Metropolitan Police. The CPLC Chief Jameel Yousuf, his close associates and supporters are pushing for this, they have the support and input by eminent personnel like Ardeshir Cowasjee. The Metropolitan Police is a brilliant idea and is must for every major city in the country particularly for Karachi, Lahore, Faisalabad, Multan and Hyderabad as well as Quetta and Peshawar. The Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) in Pakistan, in particular the police, have been badly corrupted and with the core of their credibility destroyed, have become largely ineffective.
The Metropolitan Police idea puts in place an effective law and order mechanism that will maintain peace on a permanent basis in this Metropolitan City with widely diverse population. Obviously the police officers chosen must be well-educated and must invariably belong to this city and province so that there is a measure of commitment that may be lacking in people who have no real roots in the area. One must agree with the concept of the Police being non-political and even-handed. At this time they are misused mainly for political purposes and in their turn revel in nepotism, favouritism and corruption. Their credibility has been eroded in a vicious cycle that they cannot seem to break out of. It is moot point, however, to have the Metropolitan Police idea function in the absence of a city government. Unless a powerful central executive, preferably elected by adult franchise, is running the city the net result is likely to be erosion of the Metropolitan Police idea itself. At the moment too many mafias operate in the electricity, gas, water, telephone, garbage cleaning, education and health as well as disciplines like construction mafia, the land grabbers, sand mafia, water tanker mafia etc. all of whom have vested interests in operating independently, not excluding the Employees Social Institutions and the Old-age Benefit Institution. The vital issue, therefore, is power to the people and that can only be effected through Local Bodies Elections. This will ensure that in every locality there is an elected representative of grassroots level whom the people of the locality can turn for resolving various issues that they are facing with day-to-day life. Therefore, Local Bodies Elections upto the District Level is a must, it being the only effective way to contain the mafia influence in various sectors.
The Governor would do well to have Central Control Room (CCR) manned round the clock which will obtain real time information from the Divisions, Districts and Sub-divisions on various matters so that the information is available to the Governor and executive authority in the bureaucracy can be prodded to take remedial measures. The CCR must function as a clearing house for information and executive action, acting specially to resolve major issues. Swift action by the Governor will ensure credibility of governance which is so sadly lacking in all levels of civilian executive authority in Pakistan. It is impossible to imagine any corporate entity having large amount of manpower and various job specifications that does not have executive functioning 24 hrs a day. This arrangement also functions as a Crisis Control Centre so that immediate decisions can be taken as and when necessary. The Central Control Room (CCR) concept is nothing new or unique, why anyone does not implement in a country where such a mechanism is absolutely vital is difficult to imagine.
One of the reasons of the present peace and tranquility in the city is the formation of military courts under Article 245 to try cases of terrorism, etc. The only negative factor was that we cannot make time finite for delivering justice. Where justice delayed is justice denied, in the same manner justice hurried may result in injustice, the prosecution in its enthusiasm to get the accused convicted may over-step its parameters of integrity of evidence. Two or three military courts must be put up immediately dedicated to trying cases of false evidence, the punishment awarded being the same punishment that would have been awarded to an accused if the false evidence was successful in convicting the accused. This step will go a long way in establishing the even-handedness and credibility of justice rendered by military courts. Normally the officers in a unit out of favour of the Commanding Officer (CO) are sent on ERE (Extra Regimental Employment) and the net result is that Martial Laws (or even lS duties) usually have manpower at the bottom rung of the ladder as far as the quality of officers are concerned. This time it is very noticeable that the COAS has picked out the very best officers of the rank of Lt Col and Majors to head and be part of the Court. Courts thus constituted are the best since 1947. If they do not deliver justice then we are really in serious trouble.
The Governor must not get bogged in micro issues. He must have a good team and then de-centralise authority. He must also select people he calls for advice with care and in smaller groups. Some of the people who rendered advice freely on the occasion, like Mr. Z.A. Nizami, former DG, KDA have themselves been the source of problems for Karachi. We cannot expect to have anything good from such people. This man was responsible for the construction mafia and the “plot scam” as well as the concretisation of Karachi. While he may be brilliant, he used that brilliance sparingly for the city of Karachi but more effectively for his own personal reasons. Similarly there were windbags who had nothing concrete to say except listening to the sound of their own voices. It must be said though that most of those who attended the Governor’s tete-a-tete were upright, honourable persons with sincere motivation behind their advice proferred.
Things have been moving at too small a pace except on the law and order front. The turf battles between the PM’s circle of advisors on Sindh over power apportionment must stop and the Governor allowed to get on with it. We are fighting against time more than anything else, presently we are losing the battle. We have the means to solve our problems, in the face of vested interest, do we have the will?
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