After Ehtesab Commission chief’s departure...
PESHAWAR: After the resignation of the director general Ehtesab Commission, there is now a feeling that the police chief of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is likely to leave the province as he is not comfortable running the affairs for the last many months.
Nasir Khan Durrani took over as inspector general of KP Police soon after the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf came into power in 2013 and formed the provincial government. The top slogan of PTI chairman Imran Khan was to make the police free from political interference and reform its culture to benefit the commoners.
The PTI government took most of the credit in the last two and a half years for setting up the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Ehtesab Commission to go after the corrupt and reforming the police force by ending political interference and appointing “a police chief who has been doing far better than his contemporaries.”
Things were going smoothly till a few months back. The KP government and police bosses got projection for reforms introduced in the police system, including the dismissal, suspension and demotion of those found involved in corruption, misuse of power and other criminal activities.
The introduction of the police access service, police assistance lines, reporting rooms and model police stations were termed major developments that helped a common man to easily lodge a complaint or get his job done. Dispute resolution councils were set up to deliver speedy justice.
The KP police managed to pass an act from the provincial assembly under which any landowner is required to register all of their tenants with the police so that no terrorist can get base in the province. The hotels and inns were also covered by the act. Measures were taken to change the informal policing style into formal as per international standards.
The special combat unit, special police unit, female commandos and other specialised units were set up during the last two and a half years of the PTI government. Besides, the bomb disposal unit and canine unit were improved and six specialised schools were established to improve training in the fields of explosives handling, intelligence, investigation, traffic management, public disorder management and tactics.
Most of the postings were done on merit, the credit for which goes to the PTI chief and chief minister who made it possible by not interfering in posting, transfer and recruitments.
Workers and PTI leaders praised the incumbent IGP on a number of occasions, especially in the media, for reforming the force, ensuing merit and going after the corrupt. The praise for Nasir Durrani, however, developed jealousies among his rivals and resulted in innumerable problems for him.
Many individuals termed the projects launched in the police force as cosmetic measures and publicity stunt. Others said it is just a bubble that is to burst soon. The inflexible personality of the IGP further worsened the situation as he never obliged anyone whether belonging to the political circles or bureaucracy. Even the elected lawmakers stopped visiting the Central Police Office.
Efforts were made by a few individuals to embarrass the IGP in meetings with the top PTI leaders.
“Top PTI leaders didn’t like the way Nasir Durrani was cornered and treated by some individuals during a meeting recently,” a senior government official told this scribe. Differences over the proposed Police Act with the bureaucracy and the PCS officers from within the KP Police put the IGP in a tight spot.
The surge in the terror incidents since December 30 last year gave his rivals the chance to claim that that the police bosses have failed to improve things in KP and that whatever was done was an eye-wash. It is a fact that apart from the three major attacks recently, an increase has also been recorded in target killing and extortion cases. People are also angry over action against the owners and heads of educational intuitions and others for inadequate security. Traders and media too have started a campaign against the police chief.
However, the majority believe that the law and order situation has improved to a great extent compared with 2009, 2010 and even with the years after 2011. With the efforts of the army in the tribal areas and the steps taken by the government and its police force in the settled areas, the terrorist attacks went down by 56 percent in 2015 compared with the preceding year.
There was huge reduction in casualties, injuries, target killings, extortions and all kinds of crime in 2015.
Nobody is above the law and whoever isn’t performing must be removed. However, if someone is delivering and ensuring merit and transparency, the KP government and PTI chief should support him openly.