‘Asaan Insaaf Markaz’ misses the mark in policing

The formula for "Asaan Insaaf Marakiz," (Easy Justice Centres) which involved spending millions of rupees on five police stations in Peshawar, has failed in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P).

The old buildings of the five police stations including the Faqirabad, Hayatabad, Town, Sharqi, and Chamkani stations were designated as model police stations while efforts were also undertaken to implement one-window operations and computerize the registration of FIRs however within just one year, the condition of these centers has deteriorated. Ironically, citizens are still struggling to access public services such as verification of records, clearance certificates, information about stolen vehicles, verification of identity cards, and reporting on gender-based violence.

Shaista Bibi, a resident of Peshawar's Patang Chowk, told the Express Tribune that some time ago her daughter was assaulted. “When I took her complaint to the police station regarding the individuals who had beaten her, there was no female officer or support staff available at the station to assist her,” said Shaista.

According to data provided to the Express Tribune, Peshawar police has around 100 to 120 female officers for the entire district, most of whom are designated at government offices or are assigned special duties hence female officials stationed at women's desks are frequently absent, causing these desks to become non-functional.

Moreover, Basit, a resident of Yakatoot, who was traveling abroad revealed that he had to visit two to three police stations to complete the travel documents for his sister, before they could move to Australia. “Although I had learned through social media that Peshawar's Asaan Insaaf Markaz offered services like document verification and security clearance certificates through a one-window operation, this was not the case. For a single certificate, we had to visit four different places daily and had to wait 10 days,” riled Basit.

Sources further revealed that the K-P government had developed a plan to improve the condition of police stations in Peshawar by closing down those located in rented houses and providing alternative, newly constructed stations. However, after the end of former Chief Minister Mehmood Khan’s government, the "Asaan Insaaf Markaz" project was halted and many police stations including those at Phandu, Pahari Pura, and Tehkal, went back to operating from rented buildings and houses.

For instance, the Phandu police station is located at a rented, poorly constructed building and whenever it rains, the station floods, forcing the staff to move detainees from the cells to the office rooms. Furthermore, Peshawar's Pahari Pura police station went back to operating in a rented building without electricity in the detention cells, presenting a sight of filth and neglect. Similarly, at the Faqirabad police station, there is no waiting area for female complainants, and the women’s desk remains dysfunctional. Likewise, at the Chamkani police station, the Dispute Resolution Councils (DRC) office has been closed, and the daily register and lock-up have returned to their old state.

A year ago, when the Express Tribune requested information about the costs, facilities, and project details of the Asaan Insaaf Markaz, through the Right To Information (RTI) Act, no response was given.

Senior Superintendent Police (SSP) Operations Peshawar, Kashif Zulfiqar, assured that handling women’s complaints were their top priority. “FIRs related to violence or killings of transgender individuals are registered immediately, and there are hardly any cases where a complaint has not been filed,” informed Zulfikar.

Regarding this, Peshawar’s Chief Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Qasim Ali Khan assured that a modern, fully equipped police station would soon be established in Peshawar.

“The location for this model police station has been selected, and it will have facilities for document verification and complaint registration for gender-based issues through digital mechanisms,” said Khan.