Free to serve and protect: No political meddling in K-P police, claims Imran Khan

Visits police stations in the provincial capital, stresses all recruitments through NTS made purely on merit.

PESHAWAR:

The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government has ended all political interference in the workings of the police, while the same cannot be said for Sindh and Punjab where meddling is rampant, claimed PTI Chairman Imran Khan on Saturday.

Speaking to the media during a visit to Gulberg police station, Khan pointed out that FIRs were even registered against him and K-P Chief Minister Pervez Khattak. He said this was a sign the police had been empowered by the PTI government to perform its duties without hindrance. The PTI chief was flanked by Khattak and K-P IGP Nasir Khan Durrani as he spoke to journalists.

Supremacy of law

“PTI had a vision to establish the supremacy of law in the land and this goal has been achieved,” Khan claimed. “All recruitments through the National Testing Service are purely on merit and this is yet more evidence that the K-P police force is exemplary,” he added. The PTI chief also highlighted the recently-introduced one-click warning system at educational institutes.

Political leaders were received by members of the Dispute Resolution Council (DRC) at the Gulberg police station. Imran appreciated the efforts of DRCs in the city, adding they provide prompt justice to the masses and that people no longer need to visit courts for minor disputes. He assured more DRCs would be established across the province.

Earlier in the day, the PTI chief also visited Central Police Office (CPO).

While at the CPO, Imran was briefed about the law and order situation and updated about the security measures taken by the police force. He was also told about the installation of CCTV cameras on the city’s roads to keep a check on traffic along with law and order.

Khan then visited the East Cantt police station and the School of Investigation in Hayatabad. He was briefed by the school’s instructors about the various methods used to teach students in different courses.

“The school of investigation is yet another positive development and will reinforce modern investigation techniques in the police force,” he stressed. Khan said the crime rate was currently lower than the years prior to the PTI government taking charge.

Increased pay

He acknowledged that the police were at the forefront of fighting terrorism and assured that authorities in K-P would increase the salaries of law enforcers.

A day earlier, on Friday, IGP Durrani requested the provincial government to upgrade the basic pay scales (BPS) of constables, head constables and assistant sub-inspectors.

A handout stated that 815 policemen have been killed over the last seven years while over 1,700 have been injured in the fight against militancy. Most of these officers held the ranks of constable, head constable or ASI.

Rigging

Imran said all political parties admitted there was rigging in the 2013 general elections and that was the reason he demanded a judicial commission to look into the matter. “Our demand was not accepted so we went on to protest. The option of resuming demonstrations if our demands are not met is still available,” he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 15^th, 2015.