Inconsistencies in the tenure of Punjab Inspectors General of Police (IGPs) due to political interferences, lack of trainings and resources for investigations, especially in sexual abuse cases, long duty hours and under-staffed police stations with shortage of basic facilities like fuel and food are the prime factors behind displeasing performance of the Punjab police.
This was the crux of a two-day orientation session with the media personnel on police reforms and gender-based violence held at a local hotel the other day. The session was jointly organized by the Pakistan Forum for Democratic Policing (PFDP) and Rozan, a non-governmental organization working on gender-based violence.
"According to a report of the Federal Ombudsperson titled "good administration standards for police stations," the average tenure of an IG was less than 12 months," said Syed Safi Pirzada, one of the founding members of the PFDP and senior manager at Rozan. "To change the police culture, we need 'police for the people' not 'police for the government," he added.
"Former Punjab IG Arif Nawaz Khan was just a victim of politics as his transfer came at a time when calls for Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar ouster were rising from within the ruling PTI government due to his alleged inefficiency to run the government," Safi said while talking to Business Recorder on the sideline of the session.
He said that more than three IGs were abruptly transferred in Punjab in 16 months or so in sheer violation of the Police Order 2002 that categorically states: "The term of office of Provincial Police Officer, Capital City Police Officer and Head of a Federal Law Enforcement Agency posted under Article 11 shall be three years from the date of his/her posting". Such transfers affect the working of junior officers, leading to unfinished cases, he added.
So much so, the federal government in December last year had also surprisingly transferred six senior police officers including personal staff officer (PSO) of incumbent Punjab IG Shoaib Dastgir without his consent which is an insult, he recalled, stressing that there were a lot of examples of political interference in the police department.
To a query about the possible reasons behind the transfers of IGs, the senior manager explained that the PTI government did not want to disappoint the Chaudhry brothers of Gujrat, who are the key allies of the government in Punjab.
In the past, many political workers belonging to the PML-Q had complained to Prime Minister that their "genuine issues" were not being addressed due to weak leadership of CM Buzdar. Meanwhile, reports emerged that the PML-Q would reconsider its support to the government, recalled Safi.
He said since the PTI government was not in position to displease the Chaudhry brothers, the federal government removed Arif Nawaz Khan and Punjab Chief Secretary besides other senior officers.
When asked why the premier could not implement police reforms in Punjab when he had already implemented the same in KPK, the senior manager said the fabric of KPK and Punjab is entirely different from one another. In KPK, lawmakers won election under the leadership of Imran Khan in 2018. But in Punjab, the lawmakers secure victory under the traditional clan politics, he explained.
Meanwhile, during the orientation session, Muhammad Ali, representative of Rozan, pointed out the factors that compel the police officers to adopt malpractices and the areas where reforms are needed. He claimed that a large number of junior police officers are uneducated and they don't know how to properly investigate a case, especially related to sexual abuse.
"Another dilemma is that the investigation officers (IOs) don't get sufficient budget for DNA testing in sexual abuse cases. Almost Rs2500 to Rs3000 are required for a single DNA testing whereas the IOs get only Rs452 according to a senior police officer," he added.
Currently, he said, a constable performs 12 hour duty which severely affects his/her social life and mental wellbeing. There should be an eight hour shift system in police stations as per labour laws with representation of at least two women cops in each shift. Long duty hours and absence of a clear vacation policy are causing great problems to the officials and complainants, he asserted.
Talking on gender-based violence, he said there are merely 16 women police stations in the country and most of them don't have powers to register a first information report (FIR). Only one woman police station is working in Peshawar - the province which is portrayed as a role model with regards to police reforms, he added.
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