Local Bodies elections 2022 in AJK
AFTER a long time, on the repeated orders of Supreme Court of AJK, Local Bodies (LB) Elections 2022 were held in 3 phases, division wise. A strange and special feature of these elections is the emergence of a large number of independent candidates. In Muzaffarabad Division total seats 664, Independent 115, Ruling party 197, PML (N) 127 and Pakistan Peoples Party 194. While in Poonch Division total seats 779, Independent seats 255, ruling party 229, PML (N) 116, PPP 113. Similarly in Mirpur Division total seats 1075, Independent 315, Ruling party 373, PML (N) 231 and PPP 140.
Before going to causes of this change, it may be pointed out that the composition of the civil society and texture of civil services in AJK are both distinctly different from that prevalent in Pakistan. The social norms in AJK are healthy, humble and human, thus are admirable. The political leaders here do differ in their manifestoes but they never desire to destroy their adversaries. In civil services there is a powerful element of lent officers on deputation from Pakistan. They are supposed to safeguard the supreme interests of Pakistan in this small but sensitive area. They occupy the posts of Chief Secretary, Finance Secretary, Inspector General of Police and Accountant General as per Karachi Agreement. They are legally empowered under Rules of Business 1985. The learned Chief Secretary is the head of services in order to maintain the equilibrium in political field and to ensure justice and fairness to civil servants.
In the early decades of AJK all the political parties were local and they had cordial relations with all political parties in Pakistan. Any political party ruling in AJK was treated alike by any political party ruling in Pakistan. In the year 1975, PPP made a thrilling entry in AJK politics and formed the government with the first Prime Minister in AJK under the provision of Interim Constitution Act 1974.
With this political change other political parties in Pakistan also established their counter parts and thereby ushered in an era of harsh contest and competition inheriting friends and foes from Pakistan. Main drawback in this political change, however, was that they badly failed to guide, supervise and control their counterpart ruling party in AJK and their failure tarnished their image and prestige in AJK.
During several tenures of their rules in AJK the PPP suffered a setback when they appointed a representative from Faisalabad who had been vested with so much powers that he undermined the status and authority of elected government in AJK. He held no constitutional nor legal position in Pakistan nor in AJK. As such his gross intervention in government affairs caused damage to the party. However, with bold struggle the current leadership has rectified and restored the position of PPP in AJK and they seem to turn the table any time.
The second strong political force in AJK was PML (N) for which there was overwhelming political support due to their performance in AJK and Pakistan. In their recent rule [2013 to 2018] they assigned the task of monitoring AJK affairs through a prominent leader of Pakistan, Raja Muhammad Zafar-ul-Haq. He, violating merit, nominated Raja Muhammad Farooq Haider Khan from AJK. His unbridled rule has been diplomatically criticized and condemned by his own Speaker Legislative Assembly, and Senior Minister of his government while participating in Roze News TV programme. They declare the style of governance as one man rule. They levelled allegations of nepotism in services and his repeated violations of the jurisdiction of Public Service Commission as such the civil services and public at large got fed up with his style of government. Consequently, the disgruntled political personalities preferred to contest elections as independent candidates.
Hence the victory of a large number of independent candidates in LB polls 2022. It appears the outcome of circumstances obtaining in the State. It also seems distrust in political system altogether due to bad governance by political parties in recent past.
On the other hand, the role of lent officer also has all along been deplorable. It is third time that thousands of ad-hoc appointees are being regularized in service without reference to PSC. The plea for this unconstitutional decision is that ad-hoc appointees have not been regularly selected by the PSC despite their services exceeding ten years. But this is the fault and failure of PSC which could be directed to expedite the selection process instead of committing violation of law and judgements of Supreme Court. The PSC should give test only for the posts of AC, ASP, ACF, for which the appointing authority, government has already proscribed the syllabus and for the rest of posts only the interview is enough for which system is available with the PSC.
Another astonishing factor in AJK civil service has been that ad-hoc appointees had been promoted to higher grades up to B-22. Although revenue department in AJK has no duty of recovery of revenue as AJK is exempt from this levy. Despite DMG group has occupied seventeen posts of Secretary to Government in violation of service rules. One example is that of Chaudhry Imtiaz Ahmed, Secretary Forest, whose date of birth is 04-04-1975, induction in service in 2005, grant of B-20 4-05-2018, appointment as Secretary 20-10-2020, and his retirement is 3-4-2035. The service rules require five year for B-18, 12 year for B-19 and 17 year for B-20. Other departments are waiting for justice and fairness from lent officers.
—The writer is Retired Additional Chief Secretary of AJK and Advocates Supreme Court of AJK.
