Why honest policemen can’t survive under the existing Sindh set-up
Since the past six
months, it has become very difficult for me to work, Sindh IG tells court.
PHOTO: ONLINE
The following is an old
joke about the police in Karachi.
The police chiefs of London,
Tokyo and Karachi were discussing how they tackle crime in their cities. The
London police chief said,
“When a
robbery occurs in my city, we solve the crime within 24 hours.”
The Tokyo police chief said,
“We
catch the thieves within 12 hours.”
The
Karachi police chief responded with,
“We
cannot arrest anyone, as it’s our policemen who commit most of the crimes in
Karachi.”
In
1984, I visited a police station in Karachi to see someone who had
been arrested. As we were talking, the phone rang and the SHO picked it up.
“Yes,
sir, we’ll do as you say, don’t worry, I’ll personally look after the boy.
Sir.”
Then he said to me,
“That
was a prominent politician, his friend’s son has been arrested for robbery and
he wants me to make sure the boy is given VVIP treatment until he’s released on
bail. And he orders me to do this even before the arrested man has been brought
to my police station!”
Those
who have had the misfortune of interacting with Karachi’s police officers say it is a harrowing experience. The policemen working in
Karachi are not interested in preventing crimes; they are on the hunt for fast
cash – a few million rupees by the end of the month would do nicely. Which
is why, instead of stopping and searching the vehicles of criminals, they
harass innocent motorists (particularly women, or those men who are
accompanied by their wives and children).
So, rather than go to the police to report cases of
theft and cell phone robberies, people prefer to remain quiet, because almost
always the police are involved in criminal activities. The irony is that
those police officers who are trained and capable of tackling criminals are
used to protect the politicians who rule over the city like feudal lords. You can see at least a dozen mobile
police vans guarding their palatial houses in the posh localities of Karachi,
and holding up traffic when they or their sons are driven on the city’s roads at
high speeds.
Obviously,
scores of policemen in Sindh are activists of the political party which is misgoverning Sindh, a party whose leaders don’t
care that the city is going to the dogs. What they don’t realise is that unless
they improve law and order in the province, they may be
voted out next year.
Therefore,
it is necessary to have a police chief who is honest, efficient and determined to reform
the police force. Such a man (A D Khwaja) was given to the province by the
federal government, and he set about the task efficiently, beginning with
appointing only those who were qualified and capable.
Naturally, this was not
liked by those in power, who want that only their favourites should be given
jobs in government departments (which is why quite a few police officers in
Karachi are former dacoits). So, without wasting time, the chief minister told
IGP Khwaja to go home, and appointed someone else in his place, someone who
would undoubtedly do what he is told, such as protecting the province’s criminals
instead of arresting them.
The
Sindh High Court has restrained the provincial government from
removing Khwaja, but since no one likes to work in a place where he is not
wanted, Mr Khwaja has asked the court to be relieved.
I
know there is no sense asking the head honcho of the province why he is bent
upon not having an honest police chief, but I would like to ask Mr Bilawal Zardari the following,
“Don’t
you want Sindh to be a well-governed place where there is no crime and the people
are happy? If you do, and if you believe that it’s the duty of the government
to maintain law and order, why don’t you raise your voice against the removal
of Mr Khwaja?”
Engineer,
former visiting lecturer at NED Engineering College, industrialist, associated
with petroleum/chemical industries for many years. Loves writing, and (in the
opinion of most of those who know him), mentally unbalanced. He tweets
@shakirlakhani (twitter.com/shakirlakhani)
http://blogs.tribune.com.pk/story/50230/why-honest-policemen-cant-survive-under-the-existing-sindh-set-up/
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