PHOTO: EXPRESS/MOHAMMED AZEEM/FILE
KARACHI: Even though Sindh has over 100,000 policemen to establish the writ of law, nearly 89,000 absconders and proclaimed offenders remain out of their clutches.
According to a report compiled by the Sindh High Court’s inspection team, the trial courts had declared as many as 88,998 accused as absconders or proclaimed offenders in a period of four years - between January 1, 2008, and November 30, 2012. The report was submitted by the Member Inspection Team (MIT)-II of the Sindh High Court to the Supreme Court. The report failed to mention the names of the fugitives, the nature of their offences and the current status of trials. The time period suggested, however, that all the accused have been walking free during the tenure of the present government.
After a particularly bloody summer of 2011, the Supreme Court took up the Karachi violence case to ensure that the lives of the citizens remain protected. In all the subsequent hearings, the judges have expressed nothing but displeasure over the police’s performance. The judges were also astonished when they found out that the number of investigation officers in the city was too little to carry out the task.
A lack of resources is an excuse used most often, but the annual budgetary allocation for the police force has reportedly gone up. In the year 2008-2009, the Sindh government had earmarked around Rs20 billion for the police force. Next year, the budgetary allocation surged to Rs26 billion, followed by Rs31 billion in the year 2010-2011. In the fiscal year 2011-2012, the allocation went up to Rs38 billion. For the current year, the government has set aside more than Rs39 billion to be spent on our police force.
According to the same report, there are 22,535 fugitives and proclaimed offenders in Karachi alone.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 11th, 2013.
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Only solution to improve law and order in the country.One order from PRESIDENT of PAKISTAN to revert all civil police back to thanas.it will not be on anybody including judges personal guard and politician will not be allowed interfere.SHO will be answerable to only nonpolitical council of notables elected by the people his area.CAN SOME BODY DO THAT-THIS IS ONLY EFFECTIVE QUICK WAY OUT OF THIS BIG MESS.keep trying other options all will fail like always before.
Ehm What did Nawas Sharif saying during his speach last time in Punjab or was it Lahore I cann't remember where it exatly was but he said the government has failed because there is no security in Karachi everyday people is dieng but what about Punjab are people more secure where 89000 absconders walk free? Nawas you have been elected 5 times but not one time you did anything good for our people! . . . . . .