PESHAWAR, Dec 10: NWFP chief minister Akram Khan Durrani has said protection of life, property and honour of the people, eradication of crime and social evils and provision of justice to the oppressed people are areas that his government will focus upon.
Presiding over a meeting on law and order at the Frontier House here on Monday, he said, the government would show no flexibility on these matters.
The chief minister ordered the heads of the law-enforcement authorities to identify those elements who created hurdles in this respect, and added that they had to be brought to justice.
Durrani said when the government did not give the feeling of protection to the people the claim of public representation carried little meaning.
The meeting which deliberated upon the overall law and order situation, cases of kidnapping, smuggling and robberies, etc., was also attended by the NWFP chief secretary, home secretary, provincial IGP and heads of various law-enforcement agencies.
The chief minister said his government wanted to narrow the gap between the authorities and the oppressed masses. Every oppressed individual should be heard and steps taken to redress his/her grievances, he stressed.
The Frontier police, he went on to say, was equipped with latest facilities and what was required was to streamline the available resources and facilities for the larger interest of the people.
The security system thus evolved would meet the expectations of the people, the chief minister said, adding that the people of the province were peace-loving and law-abiding and would respond very positively if the law-enforcement authorities gave them a sense of protection. Dutiful and honest police officers and supporting staff would be encouraged, he remarked.
Durrani, however, maintained that those who added to the problems of the people would be dealt with sternly. The masses often raise questions that why did the law-enforcement authorities, despite having modern equipment and resources, fail in controlling the anti-social elements.
They also raised question about the ongoing smuggling and lack of effective intelligence information system to check crime, he said, adding that they wanted to know the reasons for increase in crime rates. The people further wanted to know as to why did the complainants not heard at the police stations, Durrani pointed out.
The people were also inquisitive about the reasons of the increasing sense of insecurity among them and the traffic system turning chaotic with the passage of time?
He said the common man asked these questions from the government and they had every right to use all options for getting justice.
“Though the task of giving satisfactory answers to these questions is a little bit hard, we, however, should remain firm in our commitment towards achieving the goal of satisfying the common man,” he said, adding that the government would do all it could to establish its writ and answers to all these problems would be found.
On the occasion, the chief minister stressed the need for making effective liaison between the law enforcement authorities, so that smuggling, cases of kidnapping and other anti-social activities could be controlled effectively.
He said the people of the province, after getting annoyed with the past political system and rulers, had reposed confidence in the leadership of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal, which belonged to the middle class of the society.