HARIPUR: The district police proved through their latest stance here on Monday that taking part in the local bodies’ elections is not less than a crime.

According to the details, Pakhtunkhwa police have ordered the district police across the province to seek surety bonds, regarding maintenance of peace, from candidates racing for various tiers of local bodies’ elections in their respective constituencies.

The police have asked all the candidates to submit surety bonds under Section 107 CrPC (Criminal Procedure Code) that they would not indulge in any unlawful activity during elections process. It is a unique way of controlling a crime, which has yet not occurred. It is a sort of apprehension which has forced the police high-ups to take some preemptive measures for maintenance of peace during the election process.

Producing criminals hand-cuffed in a court of law is a routine practice of the police. But, in this case (seeking surety for peace) how police can portray candidates as criminals.

When police tried to produce some of the candidates in chains in the court, they (candidates) reacted and deemed it an insult to all of them being would-be representatives of people. Some of the candidates running for village councils, tehsil councils and district councils slots preferred to stay away from a process contrary to the human rights and human dignity.

The opaque legal process has sandwiched the candidates between the executive and judiciary branches of the state.

Talking to Dawn, a senior lawyer said that if the candidates were not criminals why the police had handcuffed them. “In routine matters, if a person is produced in a court of law under Section 107 CrPC, the police chained him,” he added.

He said that police prescription for maintenance of peace during the polls had made a mockery of the democratic process. “How it occurred in the minds of worthy police high-ups, sitting in Peshawar, that violence could erupt in all areas. There can be some specific areas, which need administrative measures, but it cannot be generalised,” he added.

Published in Dawn, May 19th, 2015

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