April 22, 2008	Tuesday	Rabi-us-Sani 15, 1429

PESHAWAR, April 21: The provincial government is yet to take notice of the delay in formation of the Provincial Public Safety and Police Complaints Commission, Citizen-Police Liaison Committees and other such bodies envisaged in the Police Order 2002.

The Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal had failed to form the bodies during its previous provincial government. The bureaucracy also seems to have been using delaying tactics.

A source in the law department said the bureaucracy wanted to amend some sections in the Police Order for making the chief secretary, home secretary and the provincial police officer members of the Provincial Public Safety and Police Complaints Commission.

A summery for legal opinion, he said, had been sent by the home department to the law department, but it had not been decided so far whether the three officers could direct members of the provincial commission or not.

The source said the home department could not amend any section of the Police Order, saying Section 184 was clear on the matter, which says: “Without prejudice to the power of the

Federal Government to amend this order, any provincial government may, with the approval of the Chief Executive of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, amend, vary or modify any provision of this order relating to the province on the basis of its specific requirements and circumstances.”

He observed that the Police Order was self-explanatory, but it seemed that officials had not studied it, saying amendments could be made within two years of implementation of the Police Order, but it could not be made after the lapse of about six years.

The practice to send the files from one office to another in case of these commissions, he said, was waste of time, adding that membership of the IGP, home secretary or the chief secretary was not a matter.

When contacted, Kifayatullah Jan Khattak, the convener of the provincial safety commission, claimed that officials were not sincere in delegating powers to such bodies and said how the commission would keep a check on police if the IGP became its member.

The insincerity of the officials, he said, was evident from the fact that despite clear provisions in the Police Order, neither the provincial secretariat had been established nor a grade 20 secretary and other staff appointed.

He said the authorities concerned were duty bound to brief Chief Minister Amir Haider Khan Hoti on the commissions and expedite work on formation on the public welfare bodies.

In the prevailing circumstances, he said, there was no body to check highhandedness of police and that was why complaints against police for torturing innocent people and keeping them in lockups for more than 24 hours without registration of cases were on the rise.