27 June 2004	Sunday	08 Jamadi-ul-Awwal 1425

PESHAWAR, June 26: NWFP Chief Minister Akram Khan Durrani on Saturday warned police officials to respect rights of individuals as their activities had been creating hatred among the people against the entire police department.

He told the NWFP Assembly that the police had to change the "thana" culture as it had been earning a bad name for the whole department.

He asked the opposition to cooperate with the government in eradicating thana culture and to bring reforms to the police department.

"This is our province and no body from outside will come to reform the system," he said and sought opposition's cooperation to rid the people of the injustices of the police.

During the one-year rule of his government, he said, "Wherever I visited in the province, the people complained against the Revenue and Police department and that is why I have invited the IGP and DIGs to inform them that the on-going injustices with people should be stopped now." Terming the smuggling of clothes and spare-parts one of the major crimes, he said, they were in fact ruining the economy of the province. He said the government would spare no one involved in such crimes and said that the government had recently arrested some criminals in this connection.

The chief minister vowed to take action against police officials for not registering cases of kidnapping and dacoities.

Mr Durrani said his government had reserved Rs700,000 for every police station and now officials would not be worried about their telephone, petrol and other daily expenditures. "We are introducing reforms and providing facilities to the police but if some one still follow the previous practices and do not perform their duties, they will be punished," he added.