WHAT Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Gulzar Ahmad said on Friday about working of the police force in the country is reflective of the malaise that the incumbent Government pledged to cure before coming into power but could not move towards that end despite passage of two years. Speaking at the closing ceremony of a training workshop in Lahore, he expressed concern over the gang-rape of a woman on the motorway near Lahore, saying such incidents were reflective of a “politicized” police force that has failed to provide adequate protection to citizens’ lives and property.
There have been numerous attempts aimed at reforming the rotten police system but the objective remains unrealized because of lack of required will on the part of the successive governments and the tendency of using the police force to settle political scores. PTI also held out a commitment to reform Punjab police on the pattern of KP and in fact, immediately after assumption of power by the party, the Punjab government had notified the setting up of a Police Reforms Commission under reputed Nasir Durrani, former IGP KP. However, within a week the Commission became dysfunctional as Durrani decided to quit as Chairman of the Commission in protest against the premature transfer of the then IGP Punjab Muhammad Tahir. The vicious cycle of politically motivated transfers and postings continued since then and so far five IGPs have been transferred and the latest one was posted out because of a quarrel with a junior officer. The episode also raised serious questions about the concept of chain of command in Punjab Police and the resultant working of the force, which was also exposed during motorway incident. The CJP has rightly pointed out that repeated transfers and postings of senior police officials in Punjab were also a sign of deteriorating policing system and level of political interference in the Police Department. His advice that the Government needs to wake up and immediately restore the credibility of the department by allowing its ranks to take initiative and decide the issues of the department themselves must be heeded to as effective policing is necessary to weed out crime and promote the concept of good governance. The task is, no doubt, challenging as even the Chief Minister finds it difficult to give his reaction to the outrageous remarks of a police officer but the system will have to be reformed as it is not delivering on its fundamental responsibility of protection of life, property and honour of citizens.
