LAHORE, June 2: What was said in the inconclusive debate on the law and order in the province by the Punjab Assembly on Wednesday reminded one the parody of an advertisement of a two-wheeler on the electronic media. "Har sarak tay ghonda raaj karay (every road is under the control of a goon)".
Since the subject was very serious and more and more legislators wanted to express their views, the debate would be resumed on Monday. Law Minister Raja Basharat will wind it up, narrating the measures the government has taken to combat lawlessness.
Those who took part in the debate on Wednesday recalled some recent crime incidents, the role of the devolution plan in making them happen, and the steps which may be helpful in preventing their recurrence.
Opposition's Ashraf Kaira shed light on the crime situation in Gujrat district of Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi. "Murders are being carried out in broadday light.
Thefts and dacoities have become the order of the day. There is a deep sense of insecurity. There are many no-go areas in the city. Gujrat is on the top of the cities as far as the crime rate is concerned", said the legislator from the same district.
He did not rule out the involvement of the police in the growing lawlessness, and said outlaws could not operate so freely without the backing of the police. MMA's Arshad Baggoo recalled the Sialkot jail incident in which half a dozen judges had been killed by the inmates when they were inspecting the prison.
In his opinion the devolution plan was responsible for the tragedy as after the new division of powers between various functionaries nobody was clear who was supposed to do what.
Another legislator said dacoities and robberies in Rahim Yar Khan district were being committed by culprits from Sindh and Balochistan. Unless the government sealed Punjab's border with the two provinces, the situation would not come under control, he warned.
Criticism of the police has been going on since the creation of the country. But no government has been able to rein in the force which is held responsible for the increase in the crime rate.
People have lost confidence in the police and it is for this reason that many say the crime rate will automatically come down if the police department is disbanded.
Successive governments have been saying that they would improve the working conditions of the police force. But nothing has been done in practical terms. As a result, the police are as inhuman in their attitude as inhuman are their working conditions.
And the situation will remain unchanged unless the government takes necessary corrective measures. Those, who join the police force knowing well that extortion will be their main source of income, cannot be expected to play any role in controlling crime. The higher and the more serious the crime, the better for the personal interests of the policemen.
Several commissions had been set up by successive governments to see as to how the working of the police could be improved. All recommendations made for the purpose stand buried somewhere. Corrupt practices of patwaris was another subject discussed by some members on Wednesday.
PML-N's Chaudhry Abdul Ghafoor came up with a privilege motion against a patwari of his area. He alleged that no transfer of land was possible unless the patwari was bribed adequately.
MMA's Asghar Gujjar said a patwari was more powerful than a minister. He claimed that even a minister could not order the transfer of a patwari, no matter how serious the complaint against him.
Patwari is a person everybody to come across at some stage of his life. Once you come in contact, you will realize how difficult it is to get the needful done. His torturous delaying tactics force his clients to dig deeper in their pockets.
Unfortunately, no government has been able to change the attitude of the patwaris. And no improvement can be expected even if all records are computerized. There's a joke that killing a patwari is liked by Allah Almighty.
A pious man who was sent to paradise was surprised to see that a man who had never done any good in his lifetime was also there. He asked the latter if he could tell for which act of his he was rewarded with paradise. "I had killed a patwari, and this sole good on my part outweighed all my sins".
The revenue minister did not object to the privilege motion against a patwari being sent to the privileges committee. But he told the mover -- the PML-N leader -- that never again would he speak to him if at any stage he reached some agreement with the accused-patwari.
Law Minister Raja Basharat on Wednesday defeated, with the help of the MMA, a PML-N's move to condemn President Musharraf. An MMA leader sought the suspension of the rules to be able to move a resolution to condemn the recent terrorist activities in Karachi and express solidarity with the people of the cosmopolitan city.
The moment he sought permission, PML-N's Rana Sanaullah Khan, who was sitting next to him, stood up to oppose the request. He argued that those who were responsible for terrorist activities on account of their faulty policies should also be condemned.
He even named President Musharraf, saying the general was ahead of even the United States in war against terror and whatever was happening in Karachi was the backlash of his policies.
The law minister strongly supported the policies of Gen Musharraf, saying the situation in Pakistan would have been worse if the country had not played a role in war on terror.
He said criticizing the Sindh government or administration for failing to control the situation would amount to interfering in the internal affairs of that province.
Deputy Speaker Shaukat Mazari put the motion to vote which was carried. However, when the resolution was put to vote, the PML-N decided not to oppose it. As a result, it was adopted unanimously.