Daily Times

KARACHI: Civil society, labour rights, human rights and women’s rights activists on Monday demanded the Sindh government to withdraw all its notifications regarding postings and transfers of police officers and initiate a consultative process for making new laws for the police.

Addressing a joint press conference, Karamat Ali, Executive Director of Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research (PILER); Nazim F. Haji of Citizens Trust against Crimes; Ms. Mahnaz Rahman, Regional Director of Aurat Foundation and Ellahi Bux said the civil society through its lawyer Faisal Siddiqi’s office has issued a seven-day legal notice for contempt of court for issuance of various notifications, undermining the role of Inspector General (IG) in key decisions in Police Department as Sindh High Court has already issued a stay order in favour of IG.

When the SHC had restored IG it was an understanding that he is restored with all its powers, but the government has recently issued notifications of transfer and posting of senior police officers.

They demanded that Public safety committees be immediately formed to represent the civil society and to protect the police from being a political tool and instrument of various land and other mafias.

Karamat Ali of PILER pointed out that in a Constitution petition filed by him, Nazim Haji, Shahzad Roi and others in December last year, the SHC had issued stay orders against transfer of sitting IG A. D. Khawja. Our main contention in the petition was to provide autonomy to the police officers. The Sindh government has repealed the Police Order 2001 and replaced it with the colonial period Police Act 1861. “We contended that 1861 Police Act is inappropriate law in the current circumstances,” said Karamat Ali.

Currently police hierarchy is polarized as the Sindh government has snatched the powers of IG for posting and transfer of the higher police officer.

Talking about civil society’s petition Karamat Ali said currently, the SHC has reserved the judgment in the petition.

Nazim Haji said that the civil society would formally file an application in SHC after August 1 expiry of the court’s vacations. Through media it is learned that provincial government is making a new police law.

“We demand the provincial government not to table the draft Police Act Bill without getting IG’s input,” he added.

Police should be autonomous as far as its statutory functions are concerned and that is not possible without entrusting the transfer/ hire/ fire powers to head of provincial police, as is the case in other uniformed services, said Haji.

Sindh government should maintain tenure of the police officers for efficient working in the department. There should be legal protection to police officers as regards their professional duties to protect public’s live and properties.

He recommended that an Annual Crime Report may be published and brought in the provincial assembly to discuss in the same way as audit reports are discussed in the house. The Annual Crime Report, after evaluation, may also be acted upon and the nonperforming/corrupt and the performing/upright officers may be punished and rewarded respectively.

Police should also be provided with the adequate funds, physical infrastructure and equipment to make it a modern effective civilian force.

Published in Daily Times, July 25^th 2017.