Current Final

Tag: Punjab police

  • Buzdar govt ‘softly declines’ to implement PM Imran-approved police reforms

    Buzdar govt ‘softly declines’ to implement PM Imran-approved police reforms

    Chief Minister (CM) Sardar Usman Buzdar-led Punjab government has softly declined to implement the police reforms package that was approved by Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan ahead of his departure for Saudi Arabia and the United States (US), The News reported.

    According to reports, the Punjab government through the Interior Ministry was recently asked to implement the reforms package, however, the provincial administration has expressed reservations over certain measures approved by the premier “without proper consultation with the stakeholders”.

    The premier has reportedly given a go-ahead to the home departments to “take over control of the police” in Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Islamabad. Under the new system, the major functions of the police would be performed by the deputy commissioners (DCs) who have been given judicial powers of 22A and 22B besides the authority to inspect police stations.

    While the federal government wanted the implementation of these reforms in Punjab through an ordinance by September 30, the provincial government has assigned a high-level committee to review the reforms package for police and return to centre with its recommended changes.

    The report further said that the committee will be headed by the Punjab law minister and include three provincial ministers, chief secretary, inspector general of police (IGP), an ex-chief secretary and a retired IGP.

    It has been tasked with completing its deliberations within a week.

    “Following a presentation from the interior secretary, the reforms package was given a go-ahead by the PM. While the Punjab law minister was present during the presentation, neither the CM nor the IGP was there,” the report quoted sources as saying.

    COPS UNHAPPY WITH REFORMS:

    Meanwhile, officers of the Police Service of Pakistan as well as Punjab Police are “very upset with the way the reforms package was approved by the premier”.

    Reacting to the reforms, senior officers of Punjab Police held a meeting at the Central Police Office on Wednesday night and threatened that they would resign, Dawn reported.

    The police officers stated categorically that they “would prefer to leave their services rather than allowing the bureaucracy to take over the police department”. They unanimously rejected the new scheme which, they said, was an attempt of the Pakistan Administrative Services (PAS) to bring police under its control.

    Reports quoted an official as saying that the participants of the meeting decided to take up the matter with CM Buzdar and parliamentarians to highlight their reservations.

    Senior policemen authorised the IGP to meet the CM and bring to his knowledge their concerns. They also decided to present “factual situation” regarding the “failure” of the DCs on many fronts.

    Meanwhile, Law Minister Raja Basharat held a meeting with the IGP and other senior police officers who apprised him of their concerns. The law minister assured the IGP and other senior police officers that he would play his role in addressing their legitimate demands by taking these up with the chief minister.

  • ‘Punjab cops were never like Swiss police,’ CM’s spokesperson says

    ‘Punjab cops were never like Swiss police,’ CM’s spokesperson says

    Amid rising numbers of police brutality cases, the spokesperson to Punjab chief minister (CM), Dr Shahbaz Gill, has said that the personnel of the provincial police department “were never like those in Switzerland”.

    “Changing the culture of any department takes time. Be it exploiting or improving, it does not happen overnight,” said Gill, whose ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had been elected to power after promises to reform Punjab police, among others.

    Referring to the recent spike in police brutality cases and custodial deaths in the province, Gill said that Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan had told CM Usman Buzdar to revamp service-related institutions of Punjab, specifically the police department.

    “He [PM] also appreciated the role played by Punjab police on Ashura and gave clear directions that the police should serve its people as it did in Muharram, rather than being violent and torturing its citizens.”

    WATCH VIDEO:

    “Was it [Punjab police] like Swiss police a year ago? We should know it takes time to change the culture of any department,” he said, adding that it had taken over two years to reform the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) police.

  • ‘Will reform Punjab police first after assuming power’, vows Imran Khan

    ‘Will reform Punjab police first after assuming power’, vows Imran Khan

    With the increase in the number of police brutality cases in Pakistan, yet another statement from the past has come back to haunt the Prime Minister (PM), Imran Khan.

    Last year during his speech at Bahawalpur city, Imran Khan vowed that his first act after assuming power as PM will be to “bring reforms in Punjab police”. He said that he will make Punjab Police exactly like the one in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa free from political influence.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLIEgIpYoaA

    But with the recent appearance of two torture and murder cases of Punjab police in Lahore, it seems that Pakistan Tehreeke Insaf (PTI) government has failed to complete another promise it made to its supporters.

    Last month in August, officials from the anti-corruption department unearthed a private torture cell in a forest near Karol village, set up by the station house officer (SHO) and constables of Gojjar Pura police to torture people illegally.

    Similarly, a few days ago the ATM robber identified as Salahuddin Ayubi who went viral for making faces on the CCTV camera while robbing an ATM passed away in police custody.

    The police claimed that Ayubi was behaving like a “mad man” in lockup when he suddenly became unwell. They added that the deceased was reportedly suffering from a health condition.

    Both these cases have sparked outrage on social media and people are demanding justice from the Punjab Government.

    This is not the first time police has been accused of brutally torturing or murdering people.

    Previously, on January 19, four people were killed in an alleged shootout in Sahiwal, with the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) personnel claiming they had killed a local commander of militant organisation Daesh and three others in the operation.

    However, the eyewitnesses had claimed that the police recovered no explosives from the alleged militant’s vehicle. The case is still pending in the court.

  • Video: Police torture cell run by SHO, constables unearthed in Lahore

    Video: Police torture cell run by SHO, constables unearthed in Lahore

    A secret torture cell run by station house officer (SHO) and constables has been unearthed in Lahore’s Gujjarpura area, exposing the mistreatment of Punjab police, Dawn has reported.

    According to the details, Gojjar Pura police has set up a private torture cell in a forest near Karol village which was unearthed by officials of the anti-corruption department, who were in the field for investigation of a case.

    During their investigation, the anti-corruption officials heard cries, traced them to a building located right in the middle of a jungle and filmed whatever they saw. 

    They found six locked men, including a bedridden man in serious condition due to apparently third-degree torture by the suspected policemen.

    The bedridden man, identified as Amjad claimed that the suspected police officials entered his house by scaling the boundary walls, dragged his wife and children and then bundled him in a police van without informing him of the reason of his arrest.

    Other captives said the police officials would come over in the night to torture them only.

    The Lahore Operations DIG has taken notice of the report and summoned Gujjarpura SHO Raza Jaffery and three other police personnel.

  • VIDEO: PML-N’s Uzma Bukhari beats up Lahore cop, ends up in hospital

    VIDEO: PML-N’s Uzma Bukhari beats up Lahore cop, ends up in hospital

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader and former Punjab lawmaker Uzma Zahid Bukhari on Friday beat up a Punjab police constable as a scuffle broke out between party workers and cops outside the accountability court in Lahore.

    As per the details, National Accountability Bureau (NAB) authorities had brought PML-N Vice President (VP) Maryam Nawaz, who was arrested Thursday, to the court in connection with the Chaudhry Sugar Mills case.

    With PML-N leaders and workers gathering outside the court to express solidarity with the detained VP, enraged party activists were seen pelting stones at the police, reportedly resulting in injuries to one of the cops.

    This led to the scuffle during which Uzma Bukhari was seen thrashing a constable. A video available with The Current, shows the cop approaching her from behind and allegedly groping her, as a reaction to which the PML-N leader gives him a sound beating.

    While authorities or party sources have not yet reacted to the episode or confirmed what followed the incident, another video shows Uzma being shifted to the hospital in an ambulance.

    Meanwhile, the court has reserved its judgment on NAB’s appeal for a 15-day physical remand of Maryam Nawaz.

  • VIDEO: Punjab cops drag protester on road to make way for VIP convoy

    VIDEO: Punjab cops drag protester on road to make way for VIP convoy

    As the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) led Punjab government boasts reforming the police culture, a rather questionable video, showing cops dragging a protester on the road, has surfaced.

    In the undated video making rounds over social media, at least three personnel of Punjab Police can be seen dragging a man to make way for a VIP motorcade.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    The protester can be heard crying for help as he is dragged to the side of the road, while the cops return to their vehicles and drive away.

    The video has widely been shared with the claim that the police brutality victim was “protesting his son’s murder” in front of the convoy of an unknown official when the cops charged.

    The official version to the incident will be added to the story as soon as The Current receives it.