KARACHI: Dist Nazims want police under their control
By Habib Khan Ghori
KARACHI, June 14: The Sindh government has proposed to the National Reconstruction Bureau (NRB) to provide a model police ordinance to the provinces on the pattern of the Local Government Ordinance which was adopted by the provinces in accordance with their requirements, it is reliably learnt.
The proposal was made to the NRB at a meeting when its committee, touring all the four provinces to finalize amendments to the draft police ordinance 2002, held a meeting with the Sindh government on Friday, sources privy to the meeting told Dawn.
The NRB had circulated the new police ordinance in the provinces to seek their opinion in April and the provinces, after going through the ordinance, had sent their recommendations to the NRB which in many respects were similar in nature. But as some of the proposed amendments were contradictory, the NRB formed the committee to sort out the proposals so that comprehensive police reforms could be enforced.
Objections were raised to some of the sections of the ordinance as they were considered to be aimed at making police more powerful giving an impression as if an attempt was being made to turn the country into a “police state.”
The ordinance was also criticized by intellectuals and leaders of public opinion. They took exception to section 131 empowering police to stop and carry out search of any citizen or any vehicle. They were of the opinion that laws should be such that citizens would be able to live and work with self-respect and peace of mind.
Likewise, section 123 gives the police powers as to organizing all those gatherings and functions which are under the control and authority of district governments after the enforcement of the Local Government Ordinance 2001. This is being seen as encroachment by police on the powers of local government authority and of government representatives.
Similarly, the sub-section under section 188 provides legal cover to extortion, bribe and forced donations by police by permitting the provincial government to establish public safety funds at district and provincial levels. Money may be transferred to such funds from federal and provincial grants.
The three-member committee, which earlier had a detailed review of the ordinance in Lahore, held on Friday a meeting with chief secretary Javed Ashraf Husain, and had a detailed discussion on the proposed amendments to the new draft police ordinance. At the meeting Nazims of the district governments of Karachi, Hyderabad and Sanghar were also present. They also gave suggestions to make the proposed police reforms effective.
The Sindh government was of the view that police were a provincial matter, which if turned into an autonomous body as suggested in the draft ordinance would be contrary to the constitutional provisions and also against the devolution policy. Therefore, a model police ordinance be provided to the provinces so that they could make adjustments to the ordinance according to their needs before its promulgation.
It was also proposed that police be put under the control of city government, as under the Local Government Ordinance city Nazim had been made responsible for law and order while powers of transfer and posting of officers of the rank of SP and above would continue to rest with provincial government. This proposal was contrary to the provisions of the draft ordinance as it would give powers of transfer and posting of high police officials to the IG.
The Nazims of the city governments present at the meeting agreed to the proposals made at the meeting, saying they were prepared to take the responsibility.
The sources said the meeting was fruitful, and the committee promised that the views would be given due consideration before finalization of the draft and placing it for approval before the cabinet.
