LAHORE, Aug 30: The Punjab government has notified a 10-member Citizens Police Liaison Committee (CPLC) for Lahore.

"The committee shall be autonomous and self-financing," says a notification issued to 14 departments concerned by Punjab Home Secretary Hasan Waseem Afzal.

It underlined three main functions of the CPLC which included training and capacity building of public safety and police complaint commission. Besides, it will be developing mechanism for aggrieved citizens and police for providing relief.

Its other function is aiding public safety and police complaint commission, and the police for the expeditious and judicious discharge of their duties. "It will work as buffer between police and public," Lahore police chief DIG Tariq Saleem commented while talking to Dawn.

The committee will help improve police working, especially with focus on public dealing, he added. Asked what was the criterion to select the committee members, the police chief said that it had been done by the Punjab government, and it had a go ahead from Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi.

"People with good background have been made part of the committee." He did not think that the committee's working would any way affect police complaint commissions or public safety commissions.

Names of the committee members are: Tariq Mahmood, Mrs Memona Shaheen, Mrs Nasira Naseer, Mr Justice Asif Jan (retd), Mr G M Paracha, Let-Gen Sardar Ali (retd), Mr Nisar Cheema, Mr Yawar Irfan, Mr Salim Bokhari and Mr Alexander John Malik.