Lahore police’s new look gives citizens a jolt

Confusing police with soldiers, people fear imposition of martial law

LAHORE: With uncertainty surrounding the outcome of the Panama leaks case, Lahori’ites feared martial law may have been imposed as they ventured out on Monday only to see officials donning olive green uniforms.

While the attire may not be of khaki colour, the confusion of locals was hardly surprising given the current situation in the country.

A citizen called a journalist at the Lahore High Court and asked if there was a threat as he had seen paramilitary  soldiers deployed in the area. He breathed a sigh of relief after being informed this was the new uniform of police officials.

The new clothes remained a hot topic for most of the day, but most believed it was merely a superficial change.



A senior officer also substantiated this argument, quoting Sindh Police IG AD Khawaja’s speech a few weeks ago when he said the department was running on a 150-year-old law. “How can a force, ruled by an 18th century law, meet expectations for policing standards needed in the 21st century?”

The official said associating the new uniform with a change in police culture was more of a stunt. “There are far more concrete steps needed to change the culture.”  Many citizens also expressed similar views to The Express Tribune.

Some stated that the previous uniform was more graceful and had a crime-deterring factor. They added the new look made the police officials seem like workers at a factory. Others said the clothes resemble those worn by commandoes and rangers.

There were differing views between members of the force as well. An officer of the rank of a DIG defended the new uniform. He said fashions had changed dramatically over the last 59 years, but the police uniform remained the same. He said the new attire was weather-friendly. “Change is not always accepted by everyone and some elements have resisted it,” he said.



Meanwhile, an inspector said they had been wearing the old uniform for decades. “It had become a symbol and an identity. We developed a liking for it.” The policeman said it would take some time to develop a liking for these clothes.

Social media was also abuzz with this development as many officials posted selfies with catchy captions on Facebook, twitter and other platforms. Varying opinions were expressed by citizens in the comments’ sections of the pictures.

Over 40,000 police uniforms have been handed over to more than 32,000 police officials of Lahore. Everyone is supposed to get a pair of the new clothes, but most have one each thus far. The second is scheduled to be handed over at a later date. On the other hand, many officials claimed they were yet to receive their uniforms.

New uniforms will be distributed throughout Punjab up till October 2017. According to the distribution plan, after the Lahore police, the uniform will be worn by Rawalpindi police on April 30, Faisalabad police by end May, Multan police by June 30, Sheikhupura police by July 30 and Sahiwal and DG Khan police by October 30.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 4^th, 2017.