Hidden in plain sight: Lahore police’s cultural society

Established in 1988, wing remained dormant for a long time until 2011

LAHORE: When one thinks of Lahore police, the words art and literature do not typically come to mind. However, the Police Cultural and Literary Society, plagued by a plethora of problems, is being run by a one-man army determined to change people’s perception.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, Sub Inspector Tanveer Zaman, known among his comrades as ‘veer sipahi’, reveals that the society’s inception can be traced back to 1988.

On February 17, 1988, Nawaz Sharif, who was serving as the Punjab chief minister at the time, had paid a visit to Qila Gujjar Singh Police Lines. To welcome the chief minister, officials prepared several performances for the ceremony, including a traditional folk song, a stand-up routine and a skit, Zaman says.

Enthralled by their performances, Sharif had announced a cash prize for the officials. “This was the first performance of the society, which was still in its infancy,” he adds. Following the ceremony, SP Headquarters Kalb-e-Abbas established an office for the society at Barrack No 1.

The SP visited almost all the districts in the province representing the Lahore police force. In 1991, SP Headquarters Kalb-e-Abbas and SSP Islamabad Pervaiz Rathore founded a cultural wing for the Islamabad police. He also played a role in setting up a similar society at Punjab Constabulary Headquarters Farooqabad, Zaman says.

However, the society remained dormant for a long time until Athar Waheed assumed charge as SP Headquarters in 2011. Under the society, Waheed launched a book of poetry. Further, performance classes and other projects were also initiated.

Zaman claims that he has released several books under the society and has also been nominated for the Presidential Award. However, all of this required extra energy and effort on his part. “It was my commitment to art and literature that kept me going,” he says.

But Zaman also mourns the fact that the society has not been promoted and given patronage by the police department. “There is no allocation of funds, structuring and hiring of professionals on a quota,” he expressed. Running the society is a full-fledged task that can only be undertaken by somebody who understands the arts, he maintains.

“The department is full of talented individuals who should be encouraged to reach their full potential in order to build a softer image of the force,” he says. The department possesses the entire infrastructure such as stages, tents and sound systems. We just need to realise this goal at an institutional level, he explains.

Policing is a depressing job, he expresses. “Promoting the arts and consistently organising cultural and literary activities can serve as a means of therapy,” he states.

Zaman also offered words of praise for the newly incumbent Punjab Police Inspector General Arif Nawaz for encouraging such acitivities.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, SSP Admin Athar Waheed says that the force has devised a five-year strategic development plan which covers many projects including the society.

The official also vows to upgrade the society and to publish the magazine on a regular basis. Responding to a query about the lack of consistency, he says that certain things need to be institutionalised.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 13^th, 2019.