Tribal forces require spending on recruitment, equipment

DG Khan and Rajanpur districts are infested with criminal gangs with no solution in sight

LAHORE:

The infamous Ladi Gang which operates in the seemingly inaccessible tribal areas of Dera Ghazi Khan and Rajanpur has been a constant threat for Punjab’s law enforcement agencies for the past twenty years.

Even though the police has conducted periodic operations along with tribal forces to eradicate the Ladi Gang and other small gangs, from the two-district tribal belt which covers an area of 10,000 square kilometers and falls under the direct administrative control of the Punjab Home Department, but have had minimal success.

Recently, a committee headed by Punjab Law Minister Raja Basharat, was set up to bring the two districts under the control of the Punjab police by integrating the Border Military Police (BMP) and Balochistan Levies (BL) into the provincial police force - a solution seen as the only way to put an end to the criminal gangs operating in the two districts.

However, the committee which was set up by Punjab’s Chief Minister (CM), Sardar Usman Buzdar, only met once. Sources state that the members of the committee belonging to South Punjab have not only opposed the proposed solution but demanded that not only the existing setup be maintained but also new officers be recruited, trained and provided with modern equipment.

Punjab Provincial Minister for Irrigation, Mohsin Leghari, who is also a member of the committee, while talking to The Express Tribune, stated that in the only meeting held occurred a majority of the members supported him saying that these two border forces should not be eliminated because they are local people and know who the criminal elements are. “The two forces know the routes and terrain well. In addition, the young men in the forces have an influence in their area, which is why if Punjab police personnel are brought here, there will be no significant benefit and control over any law and order situation,” he said.

Sources indicated that in the past, even before the committee’s recommendations rejecting the merger, the tribal leaders had opposed the merger of BMP and BL into the Punjab police and a similar proposal was rejected but this time the federation had directed that an action plan be worked out for amalgamation with Dera Ghazia Khan’s Regional Police Officer (RPO) and Commissioner briefing the committee on ways to develop a comprehensive plan by expanding the sphere of influence of Punjab Police and Counter Terrorism Department under existing laws.

However, Leghari, who was amongst the members who classified the merger as inappropriate despite the amalgamation plan presented, suggested that focus instead should be on letting the forces operate separately and for this they should be provided with new vehicles, training like elite police forces, and modern equipment.

“For a long time no troops were recruited in the border forces and their numbers did not increase in proportion to the increase in population. Therefore, it is necessary for the government to immediately increase their capacity,” Leghari told The Express Tribune.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 20^th, 2022.