LAHORE, April 16: The Punjab police are resuming the recruitment of over 12,000 constables which was suspended around two months ago owing to political interference in the process, official sources informed Dawn on Sunday.
They said the recruitment was being resumed after an agreement with the government that MNAs and MPAs would not pressure DPOs and recommend employment of those fulfilling all basic qualifications prescribed for the posts.
The recruitment is to be made in districts by the respective DPOs. And it was suspended around two months ago because of the strong protests lodged by many a DPOs over what they said the interference of MNAs and MPAs in the process.
Many DPOs had reportedly conveyed to the IGP that they would like to relinquish their charge rather than succumbing to political pressure which was ruining the process and was an attempt to induct undeserving people in police, thwarting the very purpose of making it a delivery oriented efficient force.
Sources said it had been decided to shortly resume the recruitments after long debates between police highups and political leadership of the province, finding a way to recruit only deserving and qualifying people without keeping politicians out of the process.
MNAs and MPAs were of the view that they had great pressure from their voters because many of them could not find any job in the past because of a ban on recruitments.
Now, the sources said, the selection would again be made by the DPOs who would make a list of successful candidates, fulfilling all conditions of physical fitness, educational qualifications, moral character and passing written, verbal and medical tests. Following which parliamentarians would approach them for seeking appointment of constables from amongst the successful candidates as per a quota assigned to them by the government, the officials claimed.
They said formerly every legislator wanted to have his nominees appointed as constables as much as he wished.
The new agreement would not only curtail the number of nominees from the legislators but also help DPOs uphold merit, the sources claimed.
The government had announced recruitment of over 12,000 constables, driver constables and lady constables in January this year. It had also allowed ex-army jawans to apply for the posts but said they would be given only 10 per cent of the seats and no relaxation whatsoever. The former soldiers should belong to the district of their recruitment and not more than 25 years of age.