It has become common practice among police officials who perform checking duties to take bribes from ordinary citizens
LAHORE: Institutions are formed in order to accommodate the people so that harmony can be maintained. Along with this, it is also imperative for the people to cooperate with these institutions so that our daily affairs could be performed smoothly. The police are considered the most important institution everywhere. But it is a shame that in Pakistan, their performance has not been very good. It is generally believed that the police protect our lives and property but here, this is not the case. Lahore, Punjab’s capital, and the home of the current premier, has been badly affected with incidents of mobile phone snatching and robberies increasingly becoming common.
It has become common practice among police officials who perform checking duties in different parts of Lahore to take bribes from ordinary citizens. Usually at the receiving end are motorcyclists.
A friend of mine who has been the victim of such wrongs — twice — by police personnel told me that he was coming from his hostel when the police stopped him and asked for his motorcycle’s documents. He told them that he was going to visit a friend and that he did not have his documents with him at the moment. The officials told him they would take him to the police station and fine him for not having the necessary documents. But soon afterwards, they told him they would let him go if he would ‘grease their palm’. So after giving illegal gratification, my friend was allowed to go. Unfortunately, this is not the story of one person, but it is the plight of many people who become the victims of such officials.
I request the relevant authorities to take prompt action in order to fix this situation.
Muhammad Ghulam Jilani Khan
Government College University,
Published in The Express Tribune, May 13th, 2014.
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