Conflict resolution: CPLC intervenes to fix as many as 15 teenage disputes a month
Parents can reach the CPLC over the phone or by writing a letter.
Citizens Police Liaison Committee (CPLC) chief Ahmed Chinoy said this was an unusual case because children of this age are not usually targeted.
KARACHI:
Parents are starting to fear arguments between teenagers so much that they ask the Citizens-Police Liaison Committee (CPLC) to intervene as soon as possible. The committee is now resolving as many as 15 such conflicts a month.
Recently, two teenage boys got into an argument over sending text messages to a girl at night. The two O’ Level students fought with each other at their school in DHA Phase VIII; one of them even threatened the other with the famous ‘main tumko choron ga nahein’ line.
Fearing that things may go out of hands, the parents of one of the teenagers approached the CPLC last week and requested them for help to sort out the issue. The officials intervened, called the two students and their respective parents for a discussion and settled the matter.
As clashes among students get deadlier and bloodier, such as the recent Sulaiman Lashari incident, institutions like the CPLC are silently working to curb students’ fights and prevent them from turning fatal.
“Our aim is to resolve the matter among the aggrieved parties and prevent it from becoming into a bloody clash,” said CPLC chief Ahmed Chinoy. “We have averted many incidents that could have turned out to be like Shahzeb’s, Hamza’s or Sulaiman’s case, where they were killed by guards and armed boys.”
How to approach CPLC?
The procedure for requesting help from the CPLC is very simple, said Chinoy. Anyone with a complaint or concern can approach the committee over telephone or by simply writing them a letter. A majority of these disputes are reported by the residents of DHA and Clifton but, Chinoy said, they have received several complaints of student clashes from other parts of the city too.
Apart from the main office, the CPLC’s zonal offices are directed to deal with the areas in which the complaints are situated. “There are no settlement papers signed among the parties but a compromise is done on mutual confidence and understanding,” he explained. “So far, no one has violated that.” Chinoy also added that there has been no interference or involvement from the police so far.
Causes of clashes
Chinoy admitted that most of these teenage fights are over petty issues. “They are very insignificant,” he said. “The kids fight because one of them raced or drove faster than the other, or because a boy was found talking to someone’s girlfriend.”
He is, nevertheless, alarmed with the trend of keeping guards and using them in such clashes. “The involvement of guards should be discouraged, especially those with arms,” he said. “They should be used for protection only, in self defence, and not to take lives.”
Published in The Express Tribune, May 29th, 2014.
Parents are starting to fear arguments between teenagers so much that they ask the Citizens-Police Liaison Committee (CPLC) to intervene as soon as possible. The committee is now resolving as many as 15 such conflicts a month.
Recently, two teenage boys got into an argument over sending text messages to a girl at night. The two O’ Level students fought with each other at their school in DHA Phase VIII; one of them even threatened the other with the famous ‘main tumko choron ga nahein’ line.
Fearing that things may go out of hands, the parents of one of the teenagers approached the CPLC last week and requested them for help to sort out the issue. The officials intervened, called the two students and their respective parents for a discussion and settled the matter.
As clashes among students get deadlier and bloodier, such as the recent Sulaiman Lashari incident, institutions like the CPLC are silently working to curb students’ fights and prevent them from turning fatal.
“Our aim is to resolve the matter among the aggrieved parties and prevent it from becoming into a bloody clash,” said CPLC chief Ahmed Chinoy. “We have averted many incidents that could have turned out to be like Shahzeb’s, Hamza’s or Sulaiman’s case, where they were killed by guards and armed boys.”
How to approach CPLC?
The procedure for requesting help from the CPLC is very simple, said Chinoy. Anyone with a complaint or concern can approach the committee over telephone or by simply writing them a letter. A majority of these disputes are reported by the residents of DHA and Clifton but, Chinoy said, they have received several complaints of student clashes from other parts of the city too.
Apart from the main office, the CPLC’s zonal offices are directed to deal with the areas in which the complaints are situated. “There are no settlement papers signed among the parties but a compromise is done on mutual confidence and understanding,” he explained. “So far, no one has violated that.” Chinoy also added that there has been no interference or involvement from the police so far.
Causes of clashes
Chinoy admitted that most of these teenage fights are over petty issues. “They are very insignificant,” he said. “The kids fight because one of them raced or drove faster than the other, or because a boy was found talking to someone’s girlfriend.”
He is, nevertheless, alarmed with the trend of keeping guards and using them in such clashes. “The involvement of guards should be discouraged, especially those with arms,” he said. “They should be used for protection only, in self defence, and not to take lives.”
Published in The Express Tribune, May 29th, 2014.