Watching the watchers: Faisalabad police officer stops cheque fraud action

Madina Town SP issues instructions to subordinates that violate the law, IGP Punjab orders.

FAISALABAD:

Muhammad Abdul Qadir Qamar, the superintendent of police in Madina Town, a neighbourhood in Faisalabad, appears to feel that he is above the law, issuing instructions to his subordinates that seem to violate both the Criminal Procedure Code as well as the orders issued by his superior officers in the Punjab Police.

Despite having received clear instructions to register cases of “cognizable offences” such as frauds involving bank cheques or people threatening physical harm to others, Qamar has ordered his subordinates not to register cheque fraud cases until he has personally had a chance to investigate the case.

In a lengthy directive issued to all senior police officials in the province, Punjab Police Inspector General Javed Iqbal ordered his subordinates to register all cases in accordance with the law, particularly “cognizable offences” where the Criminal Procedure Code allows officers to register a case immediately, without the need for prior investigation.

The head of the Punjab police made specific reference to officers not registering cases involving cheque frauds and threats of violence. Iqbal wrote the directive after apparently receiving complaints that several police officers had not been registering cases, forcing plaintiffs to go the courts, which then issued orders forcing police to register their cases so that investigations and legal proceedings could begin.

Qamar, however, issued a letter to his subordinates asking them not to register cheque fraud cases until he had personally had time to review the facts of the case. He ordered police officers reporting to him to present all documents relating to each case to “enable me to decide the fate of the case.”

Qamar defended his actions as not contravening the orders of his superior officers, though he implied that his first-hand experience in law enforcement seemed to give him the right to interpret the law as he saw fit.

Qamar’s subordinates now face a dilemma: if they register cases of cheque frauds, they would be violating the orders of their direct superior. If they do not, they would be violating the law and the orders of the head of their organisation.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 30^th, 2011.