An honourable man

AD Khowaja's tenure came to an end on June 13th and he was replaced with Amjed Javed Saleemi

It would be fair to say that the police rarely get a good press, and deservedly so. Unpopular, untrustworthy, corrupt to a fault and seen as part of the problem rather than a part of the solution. All of this is true but there are exceptions to every rule and for the last 27 months Inspector General police in Sindh, A D Khowaja, has provided a beacon of hope and light within the crepuscular gloom of policing generally. His tenure came to an end on June 13^th and he was replaced with Amjed Javed Saleemi who is going to have some very big boots to fill.

During his time in office Khowaja was under relentless political pressure from the ruling PPP Sindh government. The problem that the PPP had with Khowaja was that he is straight. And unbendable. The very last thing that the PPP wanted at the head of a police force that it regarded as a political plaything. They hated him for it, did everything they could to make his life a misery and tried numerous times to get him unseated, but in the end he saw out his tenure, leaving a legacy that is going to be hard to beat. It was Khowaja who refused to bow to pressure and appoint politically-tainted recruits. He introduced and saw institutionalised a merit-based system of recruitment, and laid the foundation for a force that was independent, accountable and depoliticised.

That said and as he exits some lawyers and civil society members say that there is still a long way to go. The interregnum between now and the election is going to be a difficult time for the incoming IG. He has no security of tenure and he may be replaced after the polls. The reforms that Khowaja brought in are vulnerable, and a man of lesser strength and integrity in the IG post is going to find it difficult to resist the ravages of a feral political group bent on returning policing to their preferred status quo. Farewell Khowaja, you will be much missed.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 15^th, 2018.

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