Woodrow Wilson often addressed as the father of American public administration is credited for the concept of politics-administration dichotomy. In his essay, The Study of Administration, published in 1887, he came up with this theory that politics and administration are inherently two different fields. Administration lies outside the proper sphere of politics and should be removed from the hurry and strife of it. This concept became the hallmark of American public administration in its early phase and thus became a successful model.
Unfortunately, the administrative machinery in Pakistan has suffered repeatedly from undue political interference and partisan politics in administrative domain. As Dr. Ishrat Hussain mentioned in his book, Governing the Ungovernable: Institutional Reforms for Democratic Governance in Pakistan, the upward trajectory of Pakistan that took off due to effective and least partisan administrative model of 1960s soon took a fall owing to increasing political inference in administrative affairs.Same is being witnessed in Police Department of Punjab particularly since the incumbent government took over the reins of administration.
For the last three years, the premature removals of Provincial Police Officer of the biggest province of Pakistan have become a laughingstock. The average period of stay for six IGs in the last three years has been almost6 months. It reflects lack of seriousness of government towards improving the governance. The unfortunate tale started with the unceremonious exit of Nasir Durrani who was brought in Punjab with a lofty slogan of revamping the Punjab Police in 2018. The choice of Durrani as Chairman of Commission on Police Reforms and Implementation in Punjab was made in large part owing to his professional performance as IG KPK. However, he left the reformsagenda following the abrupt removal of the then IG Punjab Muhammad Tahir by the provincial government. Ironically, he resigned for the very reason he was taken on-board to revamp Punjab police i.e. elimination of undue political interference.
However, a hope was rekindled when Inam Ghani was appointed as IG Punjab in September 2020. Being considered as an upright, active and professional officer in the police fraternity, he took as expectedsome challenging initiatives and brought reforms in Punjab Police. He brought the police on the right track and stood as a bulwark against the undue political interference.
It is pertinent to mention some of the initiatives he took during his tenure. Firstly, registration of FIRs was made free to facilitate the public. Secondly, targeted actions were initiated against land grabbers, dacoits and other criminals. Thirdly, for history sheets of repeat offenders,it was made compulsory for them to visit police station once a week. Fourthly, conducted drug test of all police officers and removed them immediately from the posts whose tests were positive, exhibited zero tolerance policy against drug addiction. Fifthly, no officer was posted as SHO in a police station if he has two major penalties or under investigation against criminal case by the police department. Sixthly, biometric attendance was initiated in all police stations to ensure full attendance. Lastly, Anti-Women Harassment and Violence Cells were established at every district for the safety and security of women.
It goes without saying that throughout his tenure, he kept on resisting political interference thus no police officer was transferred and posted without merit. Providing autonomy and confidence to the subordinates has been a hallmark of Ghani’s conduct as IG Punjab. As a result, police officers including DPOs, RPOs and AIGs became autonomous in their working by being provided with administrative and financial powers. His inclination towards decentralisation for efficient working can be gauged from the extent of empowerment provided to Additional IG of South Punjab by granting him full powers related to HR management, resources, budget and finance. The successful and swift handling of Sialkot Motorway rape incident, Johar Town blast investigation, TLP agitation and operation against Laddi gang are some of his success stories in his limited tenure as IG. It seemed that such positive things became negative for Ghani; thus he faced the wrath of the provincial government. It is unfortunate that just when he was transferred, things were going in the right direction for the police department. According to unofficial sources, Ghani’s removal was largely contrived by those sitting at the higher pedestals of the province.
To cap it all off, the administrative and bureaucratic setup of Punjab is in shambles owing to politically-motivated premature removals and transfers of bureaucrats at the highest level. No officer is willing to take initiatives due to fear of being transferred and politically victimised. As a result, no thorough reforms can be undertaken in any administrative department. Thus, it is imperative to devise and implement the dichotomy between politics and administration to ensure good governance.
The author is a freelance writer
