RAWALPINDI: Chief Minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif has directed the divisional police chiefs across the province to launch campaigns against people, including clerics, who are still violating the ban on the use of loudspeakers and involved in printing and distributing hate material and wall chalking.

In the meantime, the home department has sought lists of all firebrand speakers and religious figures and directed the district administration and the police to contact and warn them to avoid delivering provocative speeches and distributing hate material. A police official, who requested not to be named, told Dawn that the police had been directed to register criminal cases against those found violating the ban on the use of loudspeakers, distributing hate material, delivering provocative speeches or resorting to wall-chalking in the light of the 21st constitutional amendment.

Moreover, unauthorised construction of mosques and seminaries will be checked in addition to fund raising, extortion and activities of the banned outfits.

According to sources, before the passage of the 21st amendment, the police had proposed a 20-year-imprisonment against those found violating the ban on the use of loudspeakers, distributing hate and provocative material and wall chalking.

Before the 21st constitutional amendment, the violator of the ban on the use of loudspeakers could face only three months’ imprisonment or a fine of Rs2,000 or both after being convicted by the court.

The senior police official said in the light of the poor performance of the field officers ranging from the superintendent of police, DSP and SHO against implementing the ban on the use of loudspeakers, wall-chalking and hate material distribution, the chief minister directed the divisional police chiefs to launch an aggressive campaign.

The CM would personally review the performance of all field units on a daily basis. And at the end of each week, the regional and district police chiefs with details of their best/poor performance will appear before the chief minister, he said.

In case of good work, the field officers will be awarded with appreciation certificates and cash prizes but in case of a poor performance the field officers will be reprimanded.

The divisional police chiefs were also directed to take all firebrand speakers, religious figures on board and caution them to refrain from delivering hate speeches.

In the light of the government directives, the regional police officer Rawalpindi, Akhtar Umar Hayat Laleka, held a meeting with the district police officers of Attock, Jhelum, Chalwal and Rawalpindi to chalk out a strategy to implement the ban.

Besides the district police chiefs, senior officials of intelligence agencies and counterterrorism department attended the meeting which discussed how to launch the campaign against the illegal use of loudspeakers in mosques and imambargahs, ensure the safety and security of educational institutions and enforce a ban on fund raising and monitor the activities of the banned organisations.

Since the 21st constitutional amendment was passed, the police have rounded up 15 clerics and other individuals on the charges of violating the ban on the use of loudspeakers and distributing hate material.

Under section 3 of the loudspeaker and sound amplifier ordinance, 257 cases were registered with the Rawalpindi division police last year. Of these cases, 87 were registered in Rawalpindi, 52 in Attock, 71 in Jhelum and 47 in Chakwal. However, no cleric was arrested for violating the ban.

Published in Dawn January 12th , 2014

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