Rising ‘police encounters’ mar dept’s image
In recent months, the police have once again emerged as a trigger-happy force.
Despite the inhumane incidents involving killings such as the Sahiwal tragedy as well as the murders of Naqeeb Mehsud, Usama Satti and Hayyat Baloch, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-led government, similar to previous rulers, has failed to manage a shift from the deeply entrenched ‘extra-judicial killing’ policy of law enforcement agencies in the country, especially Punjab.
Rather, the police encounters were on rise, especially in the province.
A report revealed that in the first six months of 2020, at least 171 police encounters took place, which meant that one police encounter was reported daily.
Another report obtained by The Express Tribune stated that during January this year, at least 22 police encounters had been reported in Punjab.
The authorities concerned, including the police higher-ups, were negligent over the killings and also reportedly defending the encounters in one way or the other. This attitude by the police department was both counterproductive to crime prevention and prone to criticism.
Since the murder of a youth named Naqeebullah Mehsud in 2018 in Karachi, the police across the country had, time and again, invited much wrath against the policy of extra-judicial killings. These killings under the guise of police encounters resulted in public outrage.
The murder of Naqeeb triggered mass agitation of people mainly living in war-hit areas, including the tribal areas and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
Not much time had passed after the murder of Naqeeb when the killing of a labourer named Muddassar took place in an alleged fake police encounter in Kasur. This incident also took place around the time when there was already public outrage over the Zainab rape-cum-murder case.
Former DPO Nasir Rizvi was booked on murder charges after a departmental inquiry into the case. Mudassar had died in police custody.
Police had accused Mudassar of murdering a child after sexual assault.
However, during Zainab murder case investigations, it came forth that the serial killer named Imran Ali was the offender in that case also.
In the Sahiwal incident, a CTD team had shot dead a family including teenagers and children in broad daylight in a case of blatant use of force.
Punjab Police faced a backlash after the Sahiwal incident. Police and government higher-ups made every possible effort to maintain that the CTD had not targeted innocent citizens but ‘hardcore terrorists.’
It was, however, being expected that the authorities concerned might mend their ways after the criticism they faced post-Sahiwal tragedy.
However, what transpired was quite the opposite as the abuse of power continued.
Not only have the number of police encounters increased but also the incidents involving killing of innocent people.
Earlier this year, a student named Usama Satti was shot dead in heavy indiscriminate firing by police in Islamabad on Srinagar Highway.
A few weeks ago, a police team shot dead three suspects in Faisalabad.
Last week, two suspected criminals were killed by police in Kahna area of Lahore in an alleged encounter. An incriminating video of the two injured suspects pleading for mercy and drinking water had emerged, exposing the truth behind the police encounter.
The PTI-led government had claimed police reforms as one of its topmost priorities. However, it has failed to introduce even a single initiative to improve or bring a positive change on any front related to crime prevention. The incumbent government only managed to jolt the police department through massive reshuffles in police ranks and files.
Any of the few existing reforms were ineffective as the blatant abuse of power, including fake police encounters and custodial deaths, continued.
Due to these mounting issues, a ‘public friendly’ image of police is yet to be established.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 28th, 2021.