At the district level, the provincial government is represented by the Deputy Commissioner. All the departments functional in the district are supposed to work in liaison with the DC. He is assisted by an Assistant Commissioner at the sub-division level, by a Tehsildar at the tehsil level, and by a Naib-Tehsildar at the sub-tehsil level. In this way Gwadar district has one Deputy Commissioner, two Assistant Commissioners, 4 Tehsildars, and one Naib-Tehsildar while another Naib-Tehsildar is there for levy of Ushar (tax on agricultural produce under the Islamic Law). The Deputy Commissioner is ex-officio member (in most cases head) of almost all the important committees and forums in the district. He is responsible for maintenance of law and order in the district, to collect ushar from farmers through the Naib-Tehsildar, and to participate in development planning in the district.

The Deputy Commissioner Gwadar is supervised by the Commissioner Makran division and then by the Secretary, Services and General Administration Department (S&GAD) at the provincial level. He is an intermediary link between micro and macro level administration. Despite the fact that he is supposed to play an important role in socio-economic development of the district, he is rarely consulted in policy making. Another dimension of the issue is rapid transfers of Deputy Commissioners. Though Gwadar has been in a relatively better position in this regard, there have been 14 Deputy Commissioners in its 20 years’ history as a district. The posting period of the Deputy Commissioner ranges from three months to four years. This trend not only creates adhocism but also limits the Deputy Commissioner’s chances of full acquaintance with the district affairs.

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