Boots and batons: Police furthering political ends says Akhtar

BAHAWALPUR: Jamaat-i-Islami Punjab chapter Ameer Dr Syed Waseem Akhtar said on Sunday that the judicial commission’s report on the Model Town incident should be made public in a week. He said law minister Rana Sanaullah’s dismissal was not enough in itself. He said whoever the report holds responsible for the incident should be brought to book. Akhtar held the provincial government responsible for the fracas in which at least 12 people were killed and more than 80 injured. He said peace had been compromised in the province due to antics of the police. Akhtar said the incident was avoidable, had Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif controlled police in a befitting manner. He accused the provincial government of using the police to further political ends. Akhtar said the mandate of the police was restricted to maintaining law and order and did not include harassing people. He said incidents of citizens being dragged to police stations and being subjected to torture had become commonplace. Akhar said the Punjab Police ought to be reformed and it should restrict its activities to maintaining law and order.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 23^rd, 2014.