Daily Times

Chief Justice Asif Saeed Khosa on Monday said that December 16 has some lessons for the state as it reminds the country of two tragedies – the fall of Dhaka and the Army Public School (APS) massacre, a private TV channel reported.

In his address to the National Police Academy in Islamabad, Justice Khosa talked about the incidents that compelled the state to introduce major changes in its policy. “Both these tragic events have some lessons for us,” the CJP said, and highlighted that the APS tragedy shook the whole country and led the nation to look into the approaches that were being used by the state. “That [APS massacre] was the incident we realised enough is enough,” he said, adding that the massacre also led to the formulation of National Action Plan against terrorism.

The CJP said another lesson is that when the country gets together on a single agenda then it can achieve anything. He said that there is a need for the country to once again look for the areas that unite the country and work on those areas.

On the fall of Dhaka, the CJP said, “If the state starts asserting itself too much then people breakaway from the social contract.” He explained how the debacle in former East Pakistan proved the importance of the state honouring its social contract with citizens. “When the state starts ignoring the fundamental rights of its citizens, that contract is broken. This is what happened when Bangladesh came into being,” he said.

“A mechanism to maintain the social contract is provided in the constitution – the rule of law. That is why it is imperative for the state to ensure the fundamental rights guaranteed to its citizens,” he said. “Unfortunately, a perception was created in Pakistan that the police infringes on the rights of citizens rather than protecting them,” he added.

The CJP told the police officers that this is what they have to teach to the under-training officers. “Time has come to rethink the approach of the police. Police should be perceived as a protector,” he remarked.

The CJP also spoke about the reforms required to change the police and the reforms undertaken by the police reforms committee.

Earlier, CJP-designate Justice Gulzar Ahmad promised to continue Justice Khosa’s mission to improve Pakistan’s judicial and police systems. “It is unfortunate to hear people say the institution of police has become redundant. I believe they should have the capacity to provide security,” he remarked.