ISLAMABAD, March 23: District Public Service Commissions (DPSCs) have been formed in 58 districts of the country, a local government ministry report said.

According to the report, 21 DPSCs have been constituted in Balochistan, 31 in the Punjab, and six in Sindh. However, such commissions are yet to be established in the NWFP.

In Punjab, the districts where the commissions have been formed include Rawalpindi, Jhelum, Chakwal, Gujranwala, Kasur, Sheikhupura, Gujrat, Mandi Bahauddin, Narowal, Multan, Vehari, Khanewal, Dera Ghazi Khan, Muzaffargarh, Mianwali, Khushab, Bhakkar, Bahawalpur, Bahawalnagar, Faisalabad, Toba Tek Singh, Pakpattan, Lodhran, Hafizabad, Sialkot, Sahiwal, Layyah, Rajanpur and Jhang.

The report said the establishment of DPSCs in Lahore, Sargodha and Okara was yet to be finalized.

In Balochistan, the commissions have been constituted at Quetta, Pishin, Qilla Abdullah, Chagai, Zhob, Loralai, Kalat, Khuzdar, Kharan, Awaran, Mastung, Sibi, Ziarat, Panjgar, Nasirabad, Lasbela, Kohlu, Kachhi, Gawadar, Turbat and Qilla Saifullah.

The six districts in Sindh where the DPSCs have been formed are Larkana, Shikarpur, Sukkur, Tharparkar, Badin and Hyderabad.

The ministry’s report said the formation of DPSCs in this the NWFP was in last stages of completion, and the provincial government was making efforts to finalize it.

The constitution of the commissions in remaining 10 districts, including Karachi, Nawabshah, Naushahro Feroze, Khairpur, Dadu, Mirpurkhas, Thatta, Sanghar and Jacobabad, is under process, the report said.

The national, provincial and district public safety commissions are related to the district governments to make police accountable to civil society, and devise policing plan according to contemporary needs and demands of the people.

The report said these commissions also filled the gap which could have emerged due to abolition of the office of district magistrate.

The main functions of the DPSCs include redressal of public complaints against police, approval of annual policing plans, evaluation of the achievement of targets assigned to the police, and encouragement of police-public liaison.

The report said members of the DPSCs had been given powers of Justice of Peace under the Code of Criminal Procedure-1898.

Such commissions exist in European countries and Japan, and have been instrumental in developing public confidence in the police, the report said.