Finding loopholes: 34 unregistered tenants arrested in Hayatabad

Residents say the system of informing police when renting accommodation is flawed.

PESHAWAR:

The Hayatabad police arrested 34 people in a crackdown against those who rented houses without checking in with their respective police station. Residents, however, say the method of registering renters is a futile exercise with many loopholes.

The door-to-door search operation kicked off around 8am in Hayatabad Phase III and continued till 12 noon.

“We have searched nearly all rented houses and checked their inhabitants,” said a police official. “Occupants who have not shared their bio data with their area’s police station have been arrested and an FIR has been registered against them,” said the official. “It was a typical search operation – directed against those living in the area against our rules and regulations.”



“Under the law, every person who rents a house is required to share his data with the police, making it hard for criminals and militants to rent accommodation and use it for anti-state activities,” he said.

However, residents said the process of sharing data with the police station is very cumbersome and police officials create unnecessary hurdles so that people would feel the need to bribe them.

“When you go to a police station, they tell you they do not accept forms anymore and if you insist, they will invite you for a private chat outside the police station,” said one resident, requesting anonymity.



“This is not the way to stop criminals and militants; I can rent a house and give it to my friend or anyone else. Houses can be rented using fake names,” he said. “Militants and criminals do not use their own ID cards or names to get a house on rent and the police cannot ignore this flaw in their idea.”

“This ordinance will just benefit the police,” said another resident. Hayatabad is brimming with internally displaced families coming in from the tribal areas, he said. “The government and police should pay attention and make their intelligence network more efficient instead of making such cumbersome rules.”

Published in The Express Tribune, July 14^th, 2014.