HYDERABAD: DIG Sanaullah Abbasi has said that extrajudicial killings and other actions cannot be justified officially but society has come to accept this ‘modus operandi’ of police to eradicate crimes and make streets safer.

“It is not necessary for an encounter to be seen as genuine only if a policeman loses his life in it. You can see police have restored peace and order in the city (through this modus operandi)…,” he said.

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The official was speaking to journalists at the Citizens-Police Liaison Committee (CPLC) offices here on Friday during a briefing by local CPLC chief Haji Yaqoob Memon about the committee’s progress on cases of kidnapping and women trafficking.

Asked if ‘half fry and full fry formula’ used by policemen to refer to a particular treatment meted out to arrested suspects in proportion to severity of their crimes, did not amount to extrajudicial actions, the DIG said he could confidently say that society had come to accept the ‘formula’.

The terms ‘half fry’ and ‘full fry’ are commonly used by police to mean if officers are convinced the arrested suspects are involved in crimes they will be shot in the leg to render them disabled before sending them to jail. It had gained notoriety during the tenure of SSP Farid Jan Sarhandi but now it is talk of the town.

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SSP Irfan Baloch who was also present at the briefing said that over the past three months, 73 suspects were ‘arrested’ after they fell ‘injured’ in encounters with police.

“Remember, none of them [suspects] can obtain bail. We have made a strong case to ensure they were denied any chance of getting bail,” he said. He asked who would deny that Ehsan Chhor, Chalees Shaira, or Kali Pochi were not criminals and did not cause great nuisance to people.

DIG Abbasi said that Hyderabad and Khairpur had become model districts — thanks to this ‘modus operandi’. “Jails have become nurseries of criminals though they are supposed to be reformatories,” he said.

In the western world, he said, it was the complainant who was projected but in Pakistani society it was the suspect who received sympathy.

“Police are always willing to obey the law. Their intention should not be doubted. No one has fallen prey to any ‘extrajudicial action’ by a police officer for his personal interests. Did any policeman kill or injure anyone for his personal gains?” he asked.

He pointed out that society condoned this ‘formula’.

“I have spoken to members of the judiciary and even some senior level officials of other law enforcement agencies.

They all admit that police have restored order [in the city] and agree with our contention,” he said.

But, he said, some elements were not so pleased with their efforts because police had stepped on their toes.

“If this [formula] continues then I can assure you that we will be able to create ideal conditions in crime control,” he said.

Published in Dawn March 7th, 2015

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