Sana promises to fight terrorism, curb crime

Rana Sanaullah says 751 inspectors, 4,019 sub inspectors, 2,204 ASIs and 6,981 constables punished for corruption.

LAHORE: Law Minister Rana Sanaullah told the Punjab assembly on Friday that the government was taking effective steps to overcome crime, particularly terrorism, in the province.

“So far, 18 DSPs, 751 inspectors, 4,019 sub inspectors, 2,204 ASIs and 6,981 constables have been punished for corruption and negligence from their duties. 569 corruption cases have been registered,” Sanaullah reavealed while responding to a question.

Responding to another question, he said that the government had decided to pay Rs2 million compensation to the family of every police official martyred in pursuit of his duty. He said that previously such families were paid Rs500,000. The government, he said, had also decided to take up the responsibility for the health and education of the martyred officials’ children.

Chaudhry Sher Ali Khan asked about the trust funds, the law minister said that a Police Welfare petrol pump was being run in Lahore. He said, 19 more petrol pumps would be opened soon.

PML-Q (Like Minded) MPA Sheikh Alauddin wanted to know about a DIG’s powers to suspend subordinates from service and to assign them various jobs. Sanaullah said that a DIG did have lawful authority to suspend an inspector.

To Nighat Nasir’s question the law minister said that a number of acid-throwing incidents had decreased over the last year.

He said three such cases had been reported this year. He said that the chief minister had issued orders for the arrest of the SHO concerned, if the assailant in an acid attack case was not arrested in a week’s time. He said any woman so attacked will be treated at the government’s expense.

The law minister said that steps were being taken to detect and deport illegal Afghan residents in Lahore. He said areas where they tended to live were being regularly monitored. “People from FATA, can live anywhere in the province as long as they want to. As Pakistanis, they cannot be prohibited from visiting or living in any part of the country,” he added.

Muhammad Shafiq, a PML-N member, said that the Afghan refugees had virtually turned Taxila into Afghanistan. He said that some of the Afghans abducted people for ransom and were a threat to the peace of the area. Sanaullah said that the Home Department will investigate the complaint.

PML-N MPA Shafiq Gujjar asked the law minister about the recruitment of the elite police. He said that keeping in view the security concerns the police force needed to be strengthened. To this, Sanaullah said that 501 men had received training at the Elite Force Training School on Bedian Road from 2004 to 2007. He said that more officers were being recruited and advertisements being placed in newspapers for this purpose.

He said that currently there were 273 inspectors in Lahore district.

Samuel Kamran asked the law minister about the people who harboured and protected the criminals in the province. To this Sanaullah answered, “Those who were backing the criminals lost the last elections. I will say no more.”

Published in The Express Tribune, October 16^th, 2010