RAWALPINDI: At least 103,346 cases have been registered across Punjab since the introduction of the National Action Plan (NAP) in January 2015 and 111,723 suspects arrested for different offences, including wall-chalking, hate speech and processing illegal weapons.

Of the total cases registered with the police, the challans of 89,256 cases were submitted to the courts, which decided 15,704 cases and convicted 13,292 accused.

Similarly, in all the 103,346 cases, 2,421 accused were acquitted while 67,780 cases were still pending adjudication.

After the Army Public School (APS) Peshawar terror attack in December 2014, the federal government introduced new laws aimed at curbing terrorism and extremism.

Rawalpindi police registered 2,468 cases under the new arms law and arrested 2,464 suspects

According to City Police Officer Rawalpindi Israr Ahmed Khan Abbasi, the district police registered 2,468 cases under the Punjab arms amendment ordinance 2015 and arrested 2,464 suspects.

Of the 2,468 cases, 137 were decided by the courts, 98 accused convicted and 39 others acquitted. About 2,111 cases related to the arms ordinance are lying pending with the courts.

He said 145 cases were registered on the violation of the ban on wall-chalking and 143 accused arrested. As many as 40 of the cases were decided, 25 accused convicted, 15 accused acquitted and 104 cases were still lying pending in the courts.

Similarly, the Rawalpindi police registered 1,558 cases under the Punjab information of temporary residents’ ordinance 2015 and arrested 2,434 persons, including 470 landlords and 1,788 tenants, three property dealers and 173 managers/owners.

Of the 1,558 cases, 612 were decided and 590 accused were convicted, 22 acquitted while 837 cases were pending in the courts.

The police also registered 21 cases under the maintenance of public order ordinance and arrested 21 accused. In these cases, seven accused were convicted while 13 cases were pending in the courts.

The police said 375 cases were registered under the Punjab security of vulnerable establishment ordinance and 336 accused arrested.

Of the 375 cases, 38 were decided, 31 accused convicted, seven were acquitted and 298 cases were lying pending in the courts.

The police claimed that they were working on the implementation of the NAP in letter and spirit.

Published in Dawn, November 22nd, 2016