Govt criticized for refusing to deploy policemen for UN jobs
By S. Raza Hassan
KARACHI, April 25: Pakistan's share of allocated seats of the police personnel for deployment on UN peace-keeping missions lapsed twice in December 2003 and March 31 2004 as the government did not send the selected policemen to the mission.
In December, the United Nations Selection Assistance Team inducted a German contingent, when Pakistani interior ministry failed to dispatch an already selected batch of police personnel. The period for sending officials on allocated 28-seats lapsed in December followed by 23-seats in March this year, claimed a police official.
In the first week of April, the interior ministry reportedly received a letter from the (UN SAT) inquiring about ministry's seriousness in sending personnel for policing in future. According to the UN SAT pre-deployment assessment procedures, the term of validity of the UN SAT assessments would be effective for 12 months from the date of completion of the assessment.
The October 2003 batch is now fast losing time before their assessment validity expires in five months time. Erratic policies based on likings and dislikings have resulted in the reduction of seats, several police officials claimed.
Initially, there were 700 plus seats allocated in 1991-92, when the missions were introduced. Now the number has been reduced to 10 per cent i.e. 76 due to the self-construed policies of the interior ministry, police officials claimed.
"First they came up with no-repeat-visit policy, then the condition of five years service period was imposed," they said. "As far as the UN is concerned, they have no objection with repeaters, said a police official.
For October 2003 UN SAT assessment, a letter dated December 20, 2003, was sent to respective provincial police chiefs of the four provinces which itself speaks of the seriousness of the concerned ministry.
The letter directed successful candidates to fulfil pre- requisite documentation, like medical, curriculum vitae, personal history form. "Following these directives, all my original documents are with the ministry since January this year and still the picture is not clear", remarked an ASP.
According to an interior ministry letter (dated Jan 19), as per policy, 75 per cent quota is allocated to fresh police personal, whereas 25 per cent is allocated to repeaters. Therefore, deployment of the personnel will be made in accordance with the said ratio.
The same letter directed eight police personnel on top of the merit list to furnish their documents. Out of the eight candidates, seven were repeaters and only one was fresh, a police official claimed.
Desperation to go on peacekeeping mission became evident when a lap-top containing final results and belonging to a UN inspector was snatched by a group of aspirants policemen following October 2003 UN SAT assessments in Islamabad, recalled a candidate. Later the lap-top was returned to the visiting UN inspector.
Following the incident, the UN inspectors preferred conducting telephonic interviews of the few selected candidates, instead of calling them to Islamabad fearing further mayhem. Following the incident, the section officer concerned was transferred from the post, sources said.
A senior police official alleged that going to the UN peacekeeping mission was once considered a fair and transparent process. But over the years, some lower staff of the ministry concerned are exploiting the situation to their means.
