Pakistan like any other country inhibits people who are civilized, ethical, conservative, liberal, morally strong and on the contrary uncivilized, unethical immoral and criminal in nature. The responsibility of state is to protect its nationals irrespective of faith, political beliefs and their behavior in society. The sense of shelter for the people by the state is what results in patriotism. The best part of Pakistan is that people at large remain patriotic regardless of how the state has been failing in its behaviour towards the people of Pakistan.
Pakistan like any country needs dual protection, one from the external borders and internal by the law enforcement agencies (LEA). The greatest failure of any government has been in respect to the image of internal safety of its nationals. Pakistanis have lost lives due to porous borders primarily though terrorism which is being worked upon by the armed forces. The population has witnessed some sense of security. The greatest failure of the state towards its citizens has been by the local LEA’s. Pakistanis do not perceive the police as a department, which will generally protect the interest of its nationals. No doubt that police has sacrificed a great deal in Pakistan for its nationals but all has gone to vain because we do not feel safe with police.
The perception of a person wearing uniform comes with a thought of power and authority. In Pakistan, a policeman is seen as a person who will abuse the power and misuse the authority. A sense of hatred is seen amongst the general public for police. People feel that the police will not solve their problems. They feel that approaching the police not only means financial burden to resolve the legitimate problem but also means going through a rough patch. This basically means that the first step towards justice is for those with financial means who can afford it. The Police Service of Pakistan along with the officers who come through provincial scrutiny are commendable but the system is marred by political influences.
This basically means that the first step towards justice is for those with financial means who can afford it. The Police Service of Pakistan along with the officers who come through provincial scrutiny are commendable but the system is marred by political influence
From Model Town incident to the brutal incident of Sahiwal, one should remember that Police is abusing the power state has inferred upon it. There are protocols to be followed for use of firearms. I am not endorsing that the police should not at all use firearms. However, where a criminal can be arrested and no resistance is faced the protocols should be followed. We have loose canons in the LEA’s who have the license to kill and abduct. LEA’s believe that the criminal miscreants are usually set free by the courts due to lack of evidence. What have the legislators done for this? Legislators are the sleeping on blood of Pakistanis? Let the system be envisaged by putting our legislators to work. There is a bill moved in Punjab Assembly to increase their salaries. They should be ashamed of this bill. They have so much money to spend on election and still they take salaries from the state for not making us a safe country. The Police, Law of evidence and the criminal law should be overhauled in its entirety within 180 days. There should be a mechanized system that the Civil Superior Services and all government employees should be fired if they are involved in financial corruption or abuse of power. Their biggest asset is that they cannot be fired easily. That mechanism needs a change. Government servants should be fired anytime by the state for conducting business out of their scope. They do not deserve job security when the nation is not secure due to their failure. Why have the successive governments failed to reform the public service commission. The answers to such question falls within the ambit of incompetent legislators. They want all the perks; yet do nothing for the country. This is the change we expect from any government. Legislators are our first failure. Our vote for the candidates is our failure. The legislators need to define their purpose in the respective assemblies. They sleep, eat and receive privileges on behest of the people of Pakistan, but they have done nothing yet to change the system.
Lastly, the hate people of Pakistan have for the people in LEA’s is due to failure of us as a nation to vote for competent people. This all can change if people decide that the candidate they are voting for will do the necessary work for the people. In our democracy the government is of the rich people, for the poor people and by the influencers; certainly not a government of the people, by the people and for the people.
The writer can be reached @ashterhaider
Published in Daily Times, January 23rd 2019.