May 10, 2003	Saturday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 7, 1424

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ISLAMABAD, May 9: Islamabad police have issued handbills claiming a positive change in the police service after inauguration of the ‘upgraded’ Kohsar police station by Interior Minister Faisal Saleh Hayat.

The handbills, being distributed to visitors at Jinnah Super Market, said: “The vision of the Islamabad police is to provide services in partnership with the community that enhances the quality of life in this beautiful city, by providing a safe environment through the protection of life, property and honour of the residents”.

It said, “In our endeavours to come up to the expectations of our people we have been introducing new and innovative projects focussing on the concept of community participation.”

“This time, the initiative came from the ministry of interior, which came up with the idea of establishing an upgraded police station,” it said, adding: “Upgradation of police station Kohsar was formally inaugurated by Interior Minister Faisal Saleh Hayat on March 3.

“The basic concept is to replace all the constables with ASIs who are more educated, experienced and mature in their dealing with public,” it said.

However, these handbills were a surprise for those who have gone through a news item about removal of handful protesters by the police from outside a fast food outlet in Jinnah Super Market only two days ago.

The activists of Citizen Peace Committee and students of Quaid-i-Azam University had been protesting outside the outlet since the recent attack on Iraq, asking people to boycott US products.

On Tuesday, reportedly a police party led by AC City and SHO Kohsar police station directed the protesters to call off their protest. Women protesters alleged that the policemen harassed them and threatened that they would be booked if they did not follow the orders. A woman activist alleged that some policemen also used abusive language and forcibly removed them from the venue. The incident and charges, though denied by the Kohsar police, however, are not a surprise for the people of Pakistan, where police enjoy “absolute powers”.

Similarly, a number of residents and shopkeepers, interviewed by Dawn, said they had not witnessed any change in the police service particularly in the past two months. “The policemen still stop us unnecessary and waste our time in the pretext of checking vehicle documents at various points in the capital”, said a resident.

“There are barricades everywhere in Islamabad, which is a denial of right of freedom of movement,” a shopkeeper Sajid said.

The handbill also contained objectives of the upgraded police station, which include: “Our goal is to enhance the quality of life through proactive policing while offering dignified and courteous assistance to the public; we will strive to provide public-friendly and victim-oriented policing to the residents of the capital city; we intend to bring a behavioural and attitudinal change among police force; and we shall work to be a friend, a protector and a guide of the community”.

The handbill, issued by the SHO Kohsar, Farhat Abbas Kazmi, had sought public support to improve the police service asking them to send their comments, complaints and suggestions through e-mail, letters and telephones.