In his speech at GHQ on the celebration of the September ‘65 War exploits of the armed forces, Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa claimed that Pakistan has one of the best Armiesy of the world. Unfortunately in the land of the pure, internal security is being handled by the worst police force, which clearly indicates that all is not well. There are two extremes in the men in uniform, the best and the worst on the same soil. It calls for serious analysis and soul searching.
The Sharifs of Gawalmandi and the Chaudhrys of Gujrat are mainly responsible for this mess. As Prime Minister, Mian Nawaz Sharif repeatedly tried to extend his influence in the armed forces as well but all his attempts have been foiled thus far. The entire police force, all the way upto the rank of the Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), has been recruited against merit. While the senior positions are filled through the Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC), the rest come through the proverbial ‘ Via Bhatinda ‘. In order to come upto the mark, massive retrenchment of the force is needed. Recently the Supreme Court sent home 16000 employees hired by the Benazir government. Such a massive purge is needed here as well to erase the Zia era.
As an institution, the armed forces have maintained their institutional strength. Recruitment and promotions are all done on merit. The Chief of Army Staff (COAS) cannot recruit his own relative or pass on the baton to his son. Unfortunately on the civil side the Khaki dictatorships have caused immeasurable damage to the civilian institutions. Ayub Khan used the Thana to get elected, so did Zia and Musharraf through their proxies like the Sharifs and Chaudhrys.
On the other hand the Pakistan People’s Party till today has been an anti-establishment political outfit. The party under the Bhuttos relied on People, not Police, power unlike the Sarkari Muslim Leagues.
In KP, the government of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf ( PTI ) succeeded in reforming the police force under the leadership of the legendary officer, the late Inspector General Nasir Durrani. He was then sent to Punjab but was unable to repeat his miracle in the Toadyland of the five rivers. Dejected, he resigned and went home. Finally his brilliant innings came to an end this year due to the prevalent pandemic.
The Police Act 2002 did bring autonomy to the force but with no accountability. For internal peace and well being of the masses, a major re-evaluation of the entire reform package is needed. While people of the Islamic Republic can sleep in peace due to the functional armed forces, it is the police force that inflicts sleeplessness on the innocent while protecting the corrupt and the unscrupulous who fill their coffers.
In Punjab, the entire police force is in total disarray. It is a private enterprise that does not control crime, rather it capitalizes on it. In the end it acts as a go-between the between aggrieved and the aggressor and acting on the principle of Muk Muka ( Wheeling-dealing ) of Sharifs or the Mitti Pau‘ (Cover-up) of the Chaudhrys followed by imposition of heavy gratification from both parties. The approach being: ‘No payment no service’. There is no chain of command.
Every police station is an island of authority run by the SHO (Station House Officer). Even private prisons exist. Till 1985 the force indulged only in corruption but today it is infested with criminals as well. While the external security is in good hands the internal leaves a lot to be desired. In the provinces of Punjab and Sindh, the average tenure of an IG is less than a year. Political interference combined with lack of performance has rendered the force non-functional. While the PM and CM desire that the force meets the people’s expectations, its performance remains disappointing. Last year I had to spend a few hours at one of the police stations in the city. It was totally mismanaged and overcrowded.
Then I heard the views from the other side also. There were complaints of meagre resources and lack of facilities so everyone was let loose to fend for themself. Hardly anyone lived on the premises. My memory of stations was totally different. Civil Lines, Old Anarkali, New Anarkali, Lahori Gate, Qila Gujjar Singh, Lyton Road etc all had custom-built stations which had complete boarding, lodging and transport facilities. It was more like an Army unit under command of a Commanding Office (CO). The Police Workshop on Ferozepur Road provided maintenance facilities. Transport was limited but well kept. It seems that system no longer exists. Compared to the COAS, the IGs are no longer as well connected with their stations or men spread all over the province.
This gap between the men in khaki and green or grey has to be bridged in the best interests of the people. The elections in 2018 were conducted under the overall control of the Army. The police force was not allowed to enter the polling stations. Without discussing the allegations of pre- or post-poll rigging, they were the most orderly and peaceful elections ever.
For most national emergencies, the Armed Forces come to help. Occasionally the two have clashed. their mode of operation is poles apartas well. I remember a few years back the traffic was stopped right at the time of Iftar for passage of the convoy of Shahbaz Sharif, the CM, at one of the Cantonment entry points manned by the Army on the other side. I got frustrated and enquired from the police on duty as to who had ordered them for this insanity at this critical time, on not getting a satisfactory reply, I decided to defy the unreasonable verbal orders. On seeing the ensuing brawl the ‘’khakis ‘decided to intervene, ND after assessing the situation they decided to let the traffic move.
Most police vehicles defy traffic rules and behave in the most Obnoxious manner both on the road and in their offices. Extra judicial killings or ‘ Fake Police Encounters ‘ is another blot on the force. Lt. Gen (R) Ghulam Jillani Khan as Governor personally called and inquired from the SHO after every such encounter as their credibility as an armed entity is very low.
During our days of student activism, there were encounters with several police officers. IG Mian Bashir Ahmad was brilliant and bold and personally led the force from the front. His son Major (retd) Mian Zaheer Ahmad served as IG Islamabad. While General Agha Muhammad Yayha Khan rose to be the Army Chief, his brother Agha Muhammad Ali led the Police. The former IG Islamabad Aamir Zulfiqar inherited both traditions of men in uniform. His father and paternal grandfather were Army men while his maternal grandfather was a very well respected police officer of his time. Till the fateful decline of the decade of the 1980s, both the forces commanded respect, but then the police was used for political purposes for stuffing the ballot boxes and harassing the opponents.
The Police Act 2002 did bring autonomy to the force but with no accountability. For internal peace and well being of the masses, a major re-evaluation of the entire reform package is needed. While people of the Islamic Republic can sleep in peace due to the functional armed forces, it is the police force that inflicts sleeplessness on the innocent while protecting the corrupt and the unscrupulous who fill their coffers.
