Police College Sihala is an old, prestigious institute for training police officers of various ranks, primarily of Punjab. Established in 1959 in a locality now part of the federal capital territory, its courses and interns have increased with the demands of times, particularly after the rise of terrorism at home and abroad.

It has also trained police recruits of Nepal and the first batch of investigation officers of the National Accountability Bureau in hunting down the corrupt in the society.

It trains police officers, drawn from all over Pakistan, in fighting crime using modern investigation techniques like forensics, and in counterterrorism – by American instructors from 2003 to 2009 – the college feels threatened from criminal mafias and terror groups.

But the attack the college is reeling from these days came from the least expected quarter – a retired senior police officer of Punjab – ex-Inspector General of Police and Motorway Police chief Zulfiqar Cheema.

His allegation in the media that the staff of the Sihala Police College sexually harassed its woman trainees tarnished the image of the college and created a crisis for the administrators and the families of the trainee female officers.

Inspector General of Punjab Police Mushtaq Ahmed Sukhera immediately ordered an inquiry and, pending its findings, stopped the college’s commandant and deputy commandant from working.

It is learnt that the inquiry committee rejected the allegation in its report and recommended removing both the commandants. It is understood that no one appeared before the committee to substantiate the charge – not even the supposed victims.

Commandant Amir Zulfiqar has been reinstated since but not his deputy Mohammad Shoaib. Other staff members think it was done to suppress bureaucratic rivalry between the two.

In any case, Mr Cheema’s allegation of sexual harassment was found to be based on an anonymous letter from supposed victims.

Sadly, the families of the 80 highly qualified female sub-inspectors and assistant sub-inspectors of police undergoing training continue to suffer.

Some police experts believe that a change at the top is needed to re-establish the image and reputation of the college. In their opinion the act of going public with charges leveled anonymously was “no less than a conspiracy” to bring the police department in disrepute at a time when the Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif was building up the force to battle with terrorist groups.

A former deputy commandant of Police College Sihala said nothing scandalous took place there, and dismissed the whole affair as “a tussle for power between two senior police officers”.

“If he had any proof to support his allegations, the former Inspector General of Police should have gone to someone high in the department not to the media and damage the reputation of a fine college,” he said.

Published in Dawn March 21st , 2015

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