Afghanistan; Asia, Central -- Description and travel; Eastern question (Central Asia)
Strictly speaking, there are no positive restrictions limiting and
separating the authority of any one official from that of another.
Cases go before any court to which the applicant may choose to take
them. As a rule the Governor-General of the province is the executive
head of all departments within his sphere and he is looked upon as a
Court of Appeal from the District Courts, which are presided over by
the District Governor or his subordinate officials. The main duty of
the Governor-General is to collect the revenues from the landowners and
to administer the province; of the District Governor, to settle the
disputes of landowners, to keep the peace in his district, to circulate
the Kabul proclamations and to forward from time to time any orders
which he may receive from his provincial heads. The chief provinces
are administered by Governors-General, the more important centres
by Governors and the smaller places by District Governors, District
Superintendents and Inspectors. Commanders-in-Chief are associated
with the Governors-General of provinces and military officers of
corresponding subordinate rank assist the civilian officials.
Governors, exercising full executive powers locally, report to their
Governors-in-Chief who, in turn, despatch a monthly report to Kabul.
(2) The Kazi (Judge of the Ecclesiastical Court) with his
subordinate.
The Ecclesiastical Court of the Kazi is looked upon as the highest
tribunal in the province and hence it is not limited to religious
subjects; all civil cases, whatever their nature, may be taken before
it. Generally speaking, business differences and religious disputes
are settled in the District Courts, cases concerning divorce, marriage
and inheritance passing before the Provincial Supreme Court. Cases
punishable by death seldom come within the jurisdiction of the
provincial courts. The Chief Judge of this court is called Kazi and his
subordinates are Muftis. Cases are decided by a majority.
(3) The Kotwal (Head of the Police Department) together with
the force of Police, Secretary and the officials of the
Passport Department.
The Kotwal exercises much greater authority in criminal cases than any
other criminal official whatever. He combines the duties of a District
Chief of Police and a judge of Petty Sessions, while he may determine
small criminal cases, forwarding the more serious to the capital. He
is also in charge of the local Intelligence Department and is in each
centre an official of whose tyranny, oppression and cruelty stories and
poems have been handed down from posterity.
(4) Kafila Bashi (an official of the Caravan Department) with
a Board of Commerce, a Revenue Office, Tax-Collector’s
Office, Treasury Office and a local military force.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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