PESHAWAR, March 1: President Gen Pervez Musharraf said on Friday, the government will take every step to ensure improvement in the police force, and make it public-friendly.

Addressing a largely attended Police Darbar here at the Police Lines, the he said: “The image of police force has always been under shadow among the public, and its reputation in their eyes is not good.”

“ There has been an impression of corruption, ill training of the force, flouting of merit, maltreatment and politicization of the police”, he added. Keeping all this in view, one could not expect good law and order, and registration of cases at the police stations, he remarked.

“ The biggest injustice is the treatment with the down-trodden segments of the society at the hands of police force, although every one in the eyes of law is equal”, he observed.

Mr Musharraf asked the police force to mould their attitude and restore the confidence of the public.

He expressed his displeasure over the image of Pakistan in the world as a “soft state”, and said this impression was because of the absence of supremacy of law in the country.

The president referred to assertions of an American writer who says: “ If a nation has to be made disciplined, its traffic system should have to be streamlined first”.

“I have a feeling that the police force is very much important, but it was ignored in the past”, he said, and added that the government was responsible to take cognizance of the importance of police, and improve its condition.

Mr Musharraf also urged the police force to enhance its standard and training, and improve its performance. “You should recognize yourself first because any organization or force that can not recognize itself, cannot effect improvement”, he said.

The President directed the police force not to discriminate between the poor and the well-to-do people, and advised them : “ You should take care of the poor because the rich can take care of themselves”.

He told the gathering that the police could not be held responsible for all this mess, responsibility also devolved on the previous governments that this force was deprived of facilities, proper training, communication equipment in police stations, accommodation and other means.—APP