THIS refers to your editorial ‘Sindh police shake-up’ (July 19). You rightly conclude that “it would be wishful thinking to imagine that crime and lawlessness in Pakistan can be controlled without an independent, competent police force.”

Unfortunately, both PPP and PML-N, see police force more as their private militia meant to work on their personal errands, and not actually to maintain law and order in the province as some ignorant people like us may like to believe.

It, therefore, comes as no surprise that they find an upright person as A.D. Khawaja an unsuitable person to head the force. The fact that he is holding on to his position is just because of the Sindh High Court, which is doing what it can.

Still, the PPP is doing all it can to disable him, and in a recent move, the power of transfers and posting of senior police officers has been taken away from him and placed in the hands of the provincial government. Now in exercise of those powers, the Sindh government has announced a big, senior-level shake-up in police, without consulting IG, Sindh, who has expressed serious reservations.

The serious law and order situation in Karachi has been brought to a manageable level after exemplary work by Sindh Rangers and the police. Now, it will be a shame to see the gains made after all this hard work and sacrifices go waste simply because of the callous attitude of the ruling party.

This comes on top of stripping the local governments of necessary powers and financial resources.

Surely, those who have powers to arrest this decay need to act urgently in order to ensure some checks and balances.

Syed Riaz

Karachi

Published in Dawn, July 26th, 2017