Lahore Decades long inefficiency of the Punjab Police, which has either failed to close investigations immediately or shown reluctance in arresting seemingly powerful criminals, has resulted in notorious malefactors escaping the country; rarely to be heard of again.
The routine procedure for lawbreakers who flee the country is the police asking the courts to declare them as proclaimed offenders and issue warrants for their arrest.
While these two steps might work without a hitch, criminals who escape are hardly heard of again because the police lose interest in them.
The Punjab Police’s disinterest is backed by numbers as well. Police sources privy to the matter disclosed that the province’s courts await the return of 674 proclaimed offenders, so that they can be punished for the various crimes they have been accused of, such as terrorism, fraud, kidnapping for ransom, and murder-for-hire. When asked about the police’s lack of interest in bringing back the accused from foreign jurisdictions, Inspector General (IG) Punjab Police, Dr Usman Anwar, conceded that the department had been “moving slowly.” However, what the recently appointed provincial police chief is perhaps not aware of is that the department has been moving slowly intentionally.
“Since there is barely a budget for remote investigations, it is easier for us to get an accused declared as proclaimed offender, and then wait for their arrest,” a police official in the investigative unit told The Express Tribune, under the condition of anonymity.
While using the low budget excuse is not new for government departments, the Punjab Police has failed to follow procedures which do not even involve money. For instance, if there’s an apprehension that a particular malefactor will escape the country, the police can obtain approval from the Ministry of Interior to place them on the Exit Control List (ECL); however, this procedure is largely ignored, according to police sources. Dr Anwar, when asked about this lethargy of the police force, replied: “things are now picking up speed after our discussions with Interpol.” Expanding on the discussions held with the international organisation that facilitates worldwide police cooperation, the IG informed that red notices, colloquially referred to as red warrants, would be issued for 406 proclaimed offenders.
“Moreover, red warrants for 84 proclaimed offenders have already been issued and the affected families are encouraged to report their concerns to the police,” added Dr Anwar.
While it remains to be seen whether red warrants for the 406 malefactors will be issued anytime soon, The Express Tribune learnt from police sources that the Punjab Police had recently asked the Ministry of Interior to revoke the passports of some 470 proclaimed offenders, so that they could be arrested.
However, none of the police officials privy to this information commented on why a request to revoke passports of notorious criminals was only being made now.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 10th, 2023.
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