PM urges police to stick to righteousness

ISLAMABAD:

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday exhorted the police personnel not to adopt wrong ways for earning money, saying he was aware that the salaries of the working class, including those of police personnel, were not adequate as inflation continued to rise over the past several years.

Expressing hope for a better future, the premier noted that the government was heading in the right direction and the current account was witnessing surplus.

Addressing the passing-out parade at Islamabad Police Lines, PM Imran observed that a country cannot prosper until the life and property of its citizenry was safeguarded.

“The army protects the borders while police protect the life and property of people,” he said.

“To date, the police in the country have not gotten the status which it deserved.”

The prime minister said he would consult the finance minister for equalling the salaries of the capital's police force with that of Punjab's but noted it was a difficult decision to take when the country was in debt. He said the government had also cut its spending by 40 to 70%.

Elaborating on the performance of the government, PM Imran observed that the current account had turned surplus and that the country was moving in the right direction.

The PM announced that Islamabad police will be given health cards through which they and their family members will be able to get treatment worth Rs1 million from any hospital. He said the capital’s police will be given houses in installments under the Naya Pakistan Housing Scheme.

He advised the police personnel to take the path of righteousness and earn only through legitimate means.

“To walk on the path of righteousness is not easy but there is a success. To tread on an evil path is tempting and easy but it leads to destruction,” he said while giving an example of the time when he refused the offer to play in South Africa during his cricketing days.

“I would have got a lot of money but no respect had I played there [South Africa]. I would have to support a racist government there,” he said.

The premier credited the PTI-led government with transforming the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa police.

“Police, which were a victim of terrorism and had lost 500 of its personnel and had a low morale, was transformed by the PTI-led government in such a manner that people of Mardan took out rallies in their favour.”

He urged the police to be such that the people trust them and consider them as their own.

Alluding to the opposition leaders, the premier said that those politicians who had earned money through illegitimate means gained nothing and had been made a sign of warning.

“Sometimes they go to hospitals, sometimes out of the country. Their children have also run away.”

The premier declared that a society was identified by its treatment of the weaker sections and expressed the desire that Islamabad police should appear as a “new police force” to the citizens.

He said the police had an important role to play in safeguarding the plots and houses of the expatriate Pakistanis.

“Overseas Pakistanis are an asset of Pakistan but their investment is lost when their plots and houses are encroached upon. There is a need to reassure that their money is safe. The police have an important role to play in this regard.”

The premier congratulated the passing-out police personnel and distributed awards among outstanding performers.