In the backdrop of an alarming increase in the crime rate in the federal capital, the Senate Standing Committee on Interior took stock of the existing situation on Monday and asked Islamabad Police to step up action against the criminal networks to curb the crimes and restore 'normalcy' in Islamabad. The committee meeting was presided over by its Chairman Rehman Malik. During the meeting, the Senate panel members shared their concerns over repeated instances of serious crimes including armed robberies, theft, car snatching, car lifting, kidnapping for ransom, child abduction, drug peddling, land grabbing and other serious crimes surfacing from different parts of Islamabad.
"Ever since the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government has come into power, heinous crimes have increased manifolds in the rest of the country in general and Islamabad in particular. We have long been hearing from the government functionaries 'we did this and we did that'. It's time to act and we won't buy this government's fake claims (to act against crime)."
Others senators including Dr Shahzad Waseem and Javed Abbasi agreed that practical steps need to be taken to improve law and order in the federal capital. The chairman also agreed to the observations of the committee members. "I have been receiving several complaints of serious crimes from different sectors of Islamabad," he said.
However, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Aamir Zulfiqar Khan claimed that there is 21 percent decrease in overall crimes in Islamabad in the ongoing year as compared to previous years. "Unlike other parts of the country, there is not a single case of death in custody in Islamabad police history," the IG claimed. He said that Islamabad police department is being assisted by 420 Ranger personnel and there are 22 police check posts at different entry points playing a big role in preventing the crimes.
The IGP said that in 246 registered cases of robberies, police recovered Rs 660 million and more than 100 snatched cars. He said Islamabad police are facing shortage of policemen and the appointments have been halted since 2004. However, most recently the Prime Minister has sanctioned appointment of 1,280 personnel for which tests and interviews have been conducted and soon the new recruits will be sent to training, Zulfiqar said.
"The new additions will certainly enhance the further capability of Islamabad Police. Islamabad was earlier declared a no-safe city for families by the United Nations. But, now, the UN has declared it as safe city for families which is indeed an achievement for Islamabad Police," he added. The committee recommended to the Interior Ministry to equip Islamabad Police with all modern facilities both in the field and training centres to cope up with the modern challenges. The Senate panel asked Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) and the Ministry of Information Technology to extend its full technical support to Islamabad Police in countering cyber related crimes and updating their systems.
The committee paid homage to the martyrs of Islamabad Police and all provincial police departments of the country and recommended significant financial assistance for the families of the martyrs. The IGP Islamabad said that compensation allowance for the families of martyrs of Islamabad Police was raised from Rs 2 million to Rs 20 million to bring it at par with the provincial police departments.
Taking stock of rape and killing of children in Kasur, the committee asked IGP Punjab Arif Nawaz Khan to take effective action against rapid increase in the kidnapping, raping and killing of minors in Kasur. The committee expressed annoyance over the alleged incident of sexual assault of a prisoner at Central Jail Adiala Rawalpindi and negligence shown by jail officials in this regard.
Briefing the committee on this case, the senior officials of Punjab Prisons Department said that during the investigation, the alleged sexually-assaulted prisoner accused another inmate of sexually assaulting him but the medial team sent by magistrate did not find any evidence of rape. A total of 11 officials from Central Jail Adiala Rawalpindi have been suspended for their negligence for not stopping the prisoner from shifting to another barrack in the jail, in violation of the jail manual, where the accused claimed he was raped.
The committee expressed its dissatisfaction over the briefing and observed that the matter should be investigated thoroughly and a detailed report be presented in the next meeting of the committee in the presence of district police officer (DPO) Rawalpindi.
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