PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police on Thursday launched a pilot project to form the dispute resolution councils in the province for the settlement of minor disputes at community level with an aim to provide relief to the people and minimise the burden of police and courts.

The launching ceremony was held at the Malik Saad Khan Police Lines, where the council members took oath of their responsibilities.

Initially, the system of DRCs was launched at Gulbahar police station to cater to the entire City Division of Peshawar.

Provincial Inspector General of Police Nasir Khan Durrani, who was the chief guest on the occasion, said members of the council had carefully been selected by the CCPO Peshawar and consist of well-reputed, respected, apolitical and uncontroversial individuals drawn from various sections of society. “Such councils will soon be launched in every police station of the province for which ground work has already been initiated,” he said.

The IGP said the councils would be responsible for amicably resolving the disputes through proper fact-finding process and work as jury in the conduct of contested investigations.

He said police in an effort to bring about a positive change in the ‘thana culture’ and ensuring prompt settlement of petty disputes, had decided to form dispute resolution councils in each and every police station across the province.

Mr Durrani said every police station would have a 22 members council.

According to him, members of these councils will be respectable, apolitical and uncontroversial intellectuals, retired civil and armed forces officers, educationists. business men and lawyers. The council will further be divided into seven panels comprising three members each.

The council members will select one registrar from amongst themselves, while the registrar will be responsible for assignment of applications to panels, coordination among council members and ensuring smooth functioning of all seven panels.

Each council will also have a seasoned upper subordinate of police department attached with it as police coordinator to service summons and ensuring attendance of both parties before the panels, providing legal guidance to the panels and ensuring that the council members do not transgress their mandate or the prevalent laws of the land.

The IGP said all complaints and applications submitted to police would upon concurrence of the plaintiff be forwarded to these councils.

Similarly, he said, any person desirous of getting his/her case referred to these councils may submit applications to the relevant SDPO, SP and SSP.

Mr Durrani said ironically, the prevalent archaic and absurd criminal justice system had failed to establish the welfare state based on cardinal principal of justice and peace as envisioned by Islam and promised by Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah.

“Today, when a poor labourer, upon non-payment of wage from the employer approaches the police station, he owing to the civil nature of offence and applicable law is typically advised to approach the civil courts. Once he makes it to the civil court, he finds himself engulfed in another rigmarole of exorbitant legal fees and lengthy meaningless processes, which in turn causes frustration, desperation and a feeling of injustice,” he said.

The IGP said petty issues, predominantly of civil nature, if left unsolved, often led to more heinous offences like murder and attempted murder.