Thana culture in Pakistan is the institutionalized attitudes, behavior, mindsets, and issues in police stations or “thanas,” which generally imply corruption, inefficiency, abuse of authority, and inaccessibility of service to the public. Although initially applied to the work of a police station, today it comes to represent the red tape of the local bureaucracy and more general authoritarian frame of mind in Pakistani law enforcement and local government. The culture creates much of the public discontent and is a great challenge to justice and administration.
Pakistan’s Thana culture originated in the British colonial system of policing. The Police Act of 1861 gave the foundation to a force intended to govern citizens, not serve them. Pakistan inherited this police system upon independence in 1947. However, it is still not successfully modernized. Systemic weaknesses allowed corruption, brutality, and political interference over time to become deeply ingrained within law enforcement agencies.
In order to facilitate judicial proceedings or file First Information Reports (FIRs) police
personnel frequently demand bribes. According to a Transparency International investigation, Pakistan’s Corruption Perception Index (CPI) 2024 ranking of 135 out of 180 nations indicates systemic corruption within institutions, including the police.
Police stations are commonly used by politicians and other influential people to settle personal and political grudges. Concerns about the abuse of FIRs in Pakistan have been voiced repeatedly by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP). In December 2023, civil society groups and (HRCP) called for the dismissal of fake cases against human rights, labor, and political rights campaigners. They drew attention to the concerning practice of falsely accusing demonstrators especially those who oppose extrajudicial executions and enforced disappearances. This technique was perceived as an attempt to stifle dissent and a violation of constitutional rights. Nearly 60% of FIRs in politically active areas were filed as a result of pressure from powerful individuals, according to a 2021 HRCP report.
The Pakistani police department has very serious problems such as extrajudicial punishment, illegal detention and police custody torture. Amnesty International documented 1,800 instances of police abuse between 2016 and 2021. In a 2024 PILDAT report, a report indicated that 30% of the police are trained regularly, which is a very serious matter because of the lack of professionalism.
According to a Gallup & Gilani survey conducted in 2025; 35% of Pakistanis particularly those living in cities, have little faith in the police this incapacity exacerbates public mistrust. The situation is made worse by gender insensitivity, which leads to harassment and discrimination against women and vulnerable groups. According to the Aurat Foundation, more than 85% of women feel uneasy reporting crimes at traditional thanas, even though there are women’s police officers. To restore public trust and uphold justice, these interrelated problems necessitate immediate solutions.
Justice turns selective instead of being universal when police are driven by corruption and favoritism. Pakistan was 140th among 142 in the 2024 World Justice Project Rule of Law Index, 103rd for limits on government authority, 106th for open government, 125th for human rights, 127th for regulatory enforcement, 128th for civil justice, and 98th for criminal justice. Pakistan and Afghanistan are the lowest-ranked on the index among the six South Asian countries.
According to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, reported crimes increased by 15% in the years 2019-2023, which reflects an institutional failure and manifests a deteriorating security situation. Systemic abuse is highlighted by violations of rights such as police violence, enforced disappearances, and custodial deaths. Pakistan’s Human Rights Commission reported over 500 deaths in custody from 2018 to 2022,  demanding accountability and reforms in the justice system.
By opening model police stations throughout the province, the Punjab Police launched the Special Initiative of Police Stations (SIPS) in August 2023 with the objectives of helping the people, transforming the conventional “thana culture,” and building public trust in the police. About 743 police stations, of which 84 are in Lahore, are being upgraded. In December 2023, City Police Officer Mansoor-ul-Haq Rana announced the upgradation of police stations in Multan to improve the ‘thana culture.’ The proposal includes dividing stations into two sections, utilizing front desks to deal with public contact, and having a feedback system to measure public satisfaction.
Wider action is needed to reform Pakistan’s policing culture and address the deep-seated “Thana Culture,” including reforming outdated law, increasing pay, and instituting merit-based hiring. Programs like Karachi’s Safe City initiative and Punjab’s 2021 Police Reforms display some movement towards community policing and digitization, and enhanced accountability through independent entities like those enabled by the National Commission for Human Rights must be guaranteed. Continued training in investigation skills and human rights can promote professionalism, and depoliticization of the police is still needed for a fair and effective justice system.
Addressing the issues responsible for a typical policing culture is crucial. Police station staff should be provided with adequate human resources, sufficient finances, technical resources for better investigation and crime detection, and basic needs such as food, water, shelter, and transportation facilities. Reforming police without providing requisite resources is a naive idea. Investigation officers are given a meager amount of 400 rupees for each case investigation, making it impossible to investigate. It is unrealistic and breeds corruption. To change ‘Thana Culture,’ it is necessary to change the working atmosphere of the force. Real change needs real investment, not cosmetic reforms.
