PESHAWAR, March 30: The Coordination Committee of the District Public Safety and Police Complaint Commissions has called upon the NWFP government to make the provincial commission operational for proper functioning of the district bodies. The chairman of the committee, Advocate Attaullah Jan, said that district commissions were yet to be set up in three of the 24 districts in the NWFP. The districts are, namely Peshawar, Bannu and Tank.

Briefing reporters here on Wednesday on the performance and problems faced by the district commissions, he said that proper attention had yet not been given to the commissions which had to play an important role under the Police Order 2002.

He stated that although the names of independent and elected members of the provincial commission were earlier notified but despite the passage of more than a year not a single meeting of the body had been held. The functioning of the provincial commission was also vital for the functioning of the district bodies, he added.

“We still lack proper funding and infrastructure for the functioning of these commissions,” Mr Attaullah stated.

He informed that due to lack of funds the members had been spending their own money on the affairs of their respective district commissions. “Under the law honorarium should be given to the members, but till date that issue has not been resolved,” he added. Early this month, he informed, they had a meeting with the prime minister in Islamabad in which they had apprised him of all the problems being faced by them and the latter had assured of resolving these issues.

The coordination committee’s chairman informed that on Nov 26, 2004, the Police Order (Amendment) Ordinance was promulgated through which some changes were made in the law and the Public Safety Commissions were renamed as Public Safety and Police Complaint Commissions.

“The said ordinance has been tabled before the Parliament and it is now important that before enacting it as an Act of the Parliament the coordination committees set up in the four provinces should be involved in the consultation process,” Mr Attaullah stated.

He said that the main power of these commissions were to check excesses committed by the police and to help the general public, especially in the registration of FIRs, and added, “Under the Police Order these commissions enjoy the power of civil court in summoning of a person or any relevant record.” He highlighted various cases in which the district commissions had helped different complainants. He stressed on the need of creating awareness among the masses regarding the functioning of these commissions. “Once the people are aware of the functions of the safety commissions, they would be in a better position to raise voice for their rights,” he added.

The commissions, he stated, had still been facing problems with the police as normally the police showed laxity in implementing orders of the commissions.