Living on the edge: 190 people kidnapped from capital in less than 3 years
A total of 190 people have been kidnapped from the capital city since January 2010. Investigations into 39 cases are still underway while 17 cases have been declared “untraced”.
Giving this information to the Senate Standing Committee on Interior and Narcotics Control on Wednesday, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Bani Amin said the law and order situation in the city is “not bad”.
According to Amin, 72 kidnappings occurred in 2010, another 66 in 2011 and 52 in the current year so far. These include 33 cases of kidnapping for ransom.
The data submitted by the IGP showed that 221 suspects were arrested, while 59 cases were cancelled. Most kidnapping cases pending investigations are from 2012, followed by 2011.
The police chief claimed they were facing problems with investigating kidnapping cases, as suspects are able to hide out in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) and tribal areas due to their close proximity.
He added that in many cases, even their provincial counterparts do not cooperate with them, which hampers investigations and arrest of suspects. “The suspects arrested by the K-P police aren’t handed over to us in time,” he said.
Kidnapped policeman
What the police chief did not share with the senate body was the case of police inspector Rana Pervaiz.
Pervaiz was allegedly kidnapped by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) from the Tarnol area in 2010 and taken to the tribal areas. His family has not heard from him since last year, when police officers investigating his case feared he was no longer alive. The Islamabad police have almost abandoned efforts to retrieve him.
“He was mistaken for a trader and the police tried all they could with the kidnappers but they did not respond,” said a police officer. However, he maintained ignorance about the current status on the case.
What to do?
The police chief, along with the chief commissioner and his team, failed to throw effective ideas on how to prevent kidnapping incidents, despite the senators’ repeated inquiries.
“There have been incidents where kidnappers in police uniform abduct people. What can a person do when he is in such a situation?” asked Talha Mehmood, the committee chairman.
The IGP suggested availing the Rescue 15 Helpline, adding that people should ask every police officer to prove his identity before they allow them to carry out inspection.
Senator Shahi Syed, however, wasn’t convinced. “How can one use a phone when stuck in such a position? It is also easy to obtain fake police cards these days,” he said, rejecting the IGP’s only two suggestions.
Silence followed.
“Tell us what equipment, expertise or training do you need to curb this crime,” Senator Sardar Fateh Muhammad Hassani asked the IGP at least twice before finally allowing him to come up prepared with a list in the next meeting.
However, the top cop briefed the committee about the modus operandi of kidnappers, which involved massive use of cell phones and insiders.
Law and order
Responding to the question of law and order, the police and city administration was quick to bring up the protests over a sacrilegious film recently.
“More than 50,000 protesters marched on Islamabad’s red zone, but the police not only protected, they also arrested the suspects who damaged public property,” said the IGP.
He pointed out that over 50 officials were injured during the riots, adding that Islamabad has been a hub of protests over the last few years.
He also complained about the high proportion of the police force that was deployed for VIP duties, special branch and maintaining traffic. Only a quarter of the 9,733 policemen in the capital are available for maintaining law and order, Amin said.
He added that 645 news posts for the police will be advertised to strengthen the force soon.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 4th, 2012.
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