Call to implement reforms in merged districts

PESHAWAR: The Pakhtun Think Tank has expressed concern over the decision of the government to challenge the judgment of the Peshawar High Court (PHC) wherein interim governance regulation has been declared ultra vires to the constitution.

The Think Tank, headed by former police officer Syed Akhtar Ali Shah, stated that the PHC had rightly declared the regulation ultra vires to the constitution as it negated Article 175 (3) of the Constitution of Pakistan which ensures separation of judiciary from the executive.

The Think Tank said the regulation was a brake on the reforms process and frustrated the democratic aspirations and expectations of the people. It was a replica of Frontier Crimes Regulation and a case of old wine in new bottle.

It said efficiency, effectiveness, transparency, accountability and the rule of law were some of the essential elements of good governance. Therefore, it said, a government claiming to give good governance as its hallmark must not drag feet on the immediate implementation of reforms in all areas.

The Think Tank stated that the area needed legal and administrative integration in the first instance. It said almost all departments were already working and the only missing link was the judicial and policing system.

It opined that the judiciary can start functioning in the already existing structure and the surplus staff of the Fata Secretariat can be provided for clerical jobs for the judiciary.