An announcement was made last week by the capital police that they would be joining hands with National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to eradicate corruption from the force. The police have issued a press release to be published in Urdu and English dailies and the announcement to be aired on news channels, as a big achievement for the force.

According to a press release issued following a meeting on February 18 between NAB and Islamabad police at Central Police Office, Islamabad Inspector General of Police (IGP) Tahir Alam Khan met with senior NAB officers to devise a strategy to tackle corruption in the police force.

The officials decided to make the slogan ‘Say No to Corruption’ the mantra of Islamabad police. The NAB team suggested that the slogan be printed on the driver’s licences issued in Islamabad. They also suggested that the module of anti-corruption training be included in the training programme of Police Service of Pakistan (PSP).

The officials, in the meeting, exchanged a number of ideas such as putting up the anti-corruption slogan on billboards at National Police Academy and Sihala College Islamabad and organising regular awareness campaign. The meeting concluded with a pledge from both sides that they would make all efforts to root out corruption for the sake of the country.

However, a number of police officers expressed doubt in the meeting and the suggested ideas resulting in any real change. They said several steps taken in the past to fight the menace of corruption had failed to achieve results.

Officials recalled that in the past a human resource officer was hired, and citizens committees and community policing programmes had all failed.

The officers opined that this new initiative of joining hands with the NAB would face a similar fate and has just been taken to make others in the government happy.

They argued that inviting NAB to eliminate corruption from the police force is an admission by senior officials of their own failure to tackle corruption in their department.

The officials said that corruption in the force was deep rooted. It involves police officials working together with criminals such as auto-thieves, narcotics and liquor dealers, sex workers, robbers and thieves.

The officials said senior officers in the force are aware of such practices but do not take action against their sub-ordinates as they also use them for their own purposes such as changing the nature of the investigation.

A senior police officer, requesting anonymity, said one of the main reasons for corruption in the police force is that appointments are made through requests of politicians. The politicians later use the officials they have gotten appointed.

Earlier, in a press conference held in October 2013, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan disclosed links between some capital police officials and criminals such as terrorists and car-lifters. He asked the Inspector General of Police and Chief Commissioner to rid the force of such corrupt elements. He also suggested that the police involve intelligence agencies in helping identify such officials and remove them from the force.

In a news story published in Dawn on October 21, 2013, AIG Dr Sultan Azam Temuri confirmed that following the interior minister’s orders, a list of policemen who have links with terrorists and criminals had been prepared. He said a high-level committee had been formed to investigate illegal activities of policemen.

The IGP at the time, Sikandar Hayat, said over 120 corrupt officials including Deputy Superintendants (DSPs), inspectors and sub-inspectors had already been identified and action was being taken against them. He said an accountability cell, under the supervision of the assistant inspector general of police, establishment is working towards identifying the black sheep in the police ranks.

However, a year and half later, not a single official was dismissed from the police force on corruption charges and many officers said this was because some senior officers are themselves involved in corruption.

Besides, the cell also failed to punish the 120 officials who had been identified as being involved in corruption as the official heading the cell was also involved in a corruption case. The Supreme Court of Pakistan in March 2013 discovered that this official had gotten three plots in the National Police Foundation through misuse of powers. Later he told the Supreme Court that he is ready to surrender these plots but had, in fact, already sold them.

In another move in early 2014, a team comprising three police officers made a list of 27 corrupt officers – three SPs, 10 DSPs and 14 inspectors - and submitted it to the then IGP to be forwarded to the minister. However, police officers said, the IGP objecting to some of his favoured officers being part of the list asked for evidence.

He said that a bad reputation could not become the basis of action against the officers.

Later, in a meeting held in mid April 2014, the minister asked about the list of corrupt officers and in response he was given a list with names of 16 officers missing.

Four DSPs and seven inspectors were transferred to Federal Investigation Agency on deputation by interior ministry, but most got stay orders and had their transfer orders cancelled.

Published in Dawn, February 24th, 2015

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