The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday ordered registration of a case against superintendent police (SP) Discipline and two sub-inspectors for not conducting investigations of a case despite magistrate orders. LHC Chief Justice Muhammad Qasim Khan passed the orders while hearing bail petition filed by accused Qasim alias Goga. A counsel on behalf of the accused argued before the court that police registered a baseless case against his client for possessing 140 gm charas. He contended that the case was registered against his client over failure to pay Rs.100,000 as bribe. Later, Police did not comply with magistrate’s orders calling to conduct investigations into the case. Just two days before, the relatives of a slain laborer “Usman” held a protest demonstration at Fawara Chowk Rawalpindi against Police reluctance in filing FIR against the criminal gang involved in killing of the laborer because the gangster Asim Aziz claimed to be the son in law of Governor Punjab Chaudhry Sarwar.
PTI came into power having a fascinating manifesto to bring reforms in all institutions particularly in Justice and Policing system of the Country. They made tall claims to make Riasat-e-Madina out of Pakistan, but the ground realities are 180-degree opposite to that. Police became highly politicized and justice become costly and impossible for poor masses of the state. The numbers of such cases are innumerous and throughout the country Police is demonstrating to be a uncontrolled, ruthless enterprise sub-servant to the powerful elite instead to be a protector of the law of the state.
The murder of innocent Osama Satti on the hands of Islamabad Police on busy roads of the capital clearly illustrated the non-professionalism and biased conduct of Police with general public. There are uncountable incidents of Police misconduct of sheltering the criminals, supporting Politicians, and land mafia instead of upholding law of the state. Use of Police for political purpose by the setting government has become a routine practice during recent months.
The Imran Khan’s agenda of making Police sub-servant to the public remained unfulfilled so far. If PTI government wants to bring real change in Police system, it should bring the Police under direct control of Judiciary instead of executive at provincial and district level to enhance its performance and end the political interference.
