As Pakistan prepares for another year with challenges surrounding the country’s politics and its economy, the question of rule of law remains paramount.
Across the country, this is what matters most to ordinary Pakistanis seeking to build their lives day to day. In sharp contrast to the recurring debates on Pakistan’s constitutional direction widely highlighted on prime-time TV shows, the mood across the country is preoccupied with a different set of challenges.
Ordinary folks across Pakistan’s mainstream repeatedly find themselves at the receiving end, tackling matters from illegal occupation of lands – a common occurrence across the rural areas – to property disputes across the urban landscapes.
But in recent weeks across Punjab, much publicity has been given to the creation of district-level ‘DRCs’ (Dispute Resolution Committees), chaired by the respective deputy commissioners, with district police officers present. Together, the two main centres of authority across the grassroots have been made responsible for overseeing the settlement of local disputes.
The initiative has clear merit in a country where civil disputes are known to drag on for decades. The DRC mechanism allows for an expedited resolution of disputes at the lowest end of Pakistan’s tiers. The initiative appears to have been welcomed across the grassroots, where many are hoping for relief rather than getting tied up in long, drawn-out and sometimes potentially expensive litigation.
While Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz fully backs the initiative, it deserves closer attention to become a centrepiece in discussions on the future of Pakistan. The initiative is a clear response to the multiple challenges witnessed by ordinary Pakistanis on a daily basis. But it needs to become central to discussions ranging from elected legislatures to popular TV shows.
From the outset, it is clear that the creation of the DRCs must be seen as a step to protect the law, though some may mistakenly see it as a measure to override the law. But carrying the initiative forward requires three equally vital steps.
First, widespread publicity must be given to this cause, ranging from its intended purpose to the architecture of the DRC. A public information campaign carries the benefit of spreading the word as widely as possible, mainly to inform the public of an initiative that seeks to arm them with fresh legal protection. In a country where the public remains sceptical of the state and its institutional mechanisms to meet their expectations, there’s an opportunity now to change the popular belief.
Second, the initiative and the spirit that drives it need to be taken for further discussion to Pakistan’s two federal legislatures in Islamabad. The twin purposes behind this move must include encouraging the federal government to consider a similar mechanism for the entire country, while educating elected representatives from provinces outside Punjab to support this measure as a centrepiece of reforms.
And finally, a deeper analysis of the DRC mechanism is essential for emulating this initiative to other areas of the public’s interest. For instance, can similar structures be created to be presided over by specialists in commercial laws, to benefit businessmen locked in prolonged disputes that have undermined their interests? The answer to that question and more can help lead the way to greater public relief.
Besides, there is a pressing need to analyse the historical evolution of the structure of government in Pakistan, of central interest to the public at large. In the past two decades, since a devolution exercise was undertaken under Pervez Musharraf, the hold of the state at the grassroots has weakened.
Before devolution, Pakistan’s grassroots were led by well-trained public servants under the district management group also known as the DMG group. Under that arrangement, deputy commissioners before the devolution plan also served as district magistrates under the cadre of executive magistracy, before their titles were changed to DCOs or district coordination officers. While the titles of DCOs have reverted to that of DCs or deputy commissioners, their powers have not been fully restored as they existed under the previous arrangement of district magistrates.
The pre-devolution structure of government at the grassroots level allowed many local disputes to be resolved by the executive magistracy under the DC’s watch. This held back the stress that has since mounted rapidly on Pakistan’s judicial system at the grassroots level.
Meanwhile, the DRC initiative has provided fresh relief to Pakistanis at the grassroots, unimaginable even in the recent past. The public’s enthusiasm for this initiative suggests a popular yearning for an expedited solution to disputes, notably those that have lingered for years.
Going forward, it is important to rapidly lift the prevailing enthusiasm surrounding the DRC initiative. But it is also vital to lay the ground through this initiative for future reforms, as Pakistan builds the road to tackle a range of internal issues.
The writer is an Islamabad-based journalist who writes on political and economic affairs. He can be reached at: [email protected]
