Can police be depoliticised?

Without depoliticising police and making it a professional organisation, the war against terrorism and high-profile crime would be difficult, as they are the force which deals with day-to-day law and order affairs.

The dilemma is that in the last few decades, it has been politicised a lot and is often used to protect political interest. How can it be depoliticised and what does it actually mean when we make such a demand? In some reported cases, the force was even allegedly involved in kidnapping for ransom and other heinous crimes. Being the most vulnerable force, it also faces harsh criticism. 

While law and order remains a provincial subject and the police work under provincial governments, its top officials from SP to IGP level are still appointed, posted by the federal government and they are answerable to the Establishment Division. Even if the chiefminister wants to suspend an official at that level, the chief secretary had to write to the secretary Establishment. 

This often leads to a conflict between Centre and the province, particularly if different parties are running provincial and federal governments, as we had witnessed in the past. Even today, this conflict arises if the provincial government is unhappy with the IGP or DIG, as happened in the case of IGP A D Khwaja. 

Except for in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP), no major police reforms had taken place. However, in KP, the IGP is the most powerful police officer of his grade anywhere in the country. He not only has administrative powers but also financial ones.

The Police Order, 2002 is considered the best police reforms in the last few decades, and the KP government has further improved it in order to reduce political interference. Sindh has abolished it and went back to 1861 Police Act, which even surprised senior police officials.

Many former and serving police officials praised the KP police and confirmed to this writer the provincial government has taken steps in the right direction.

Situation in the other three provinces paints a different story. While there has been improvement in Punjab police as far as its professional capacity is concerned, but it is under a lot of political influence.

The Model Town Lahore inquiry is, in itself, an interesting study as to who ordered the police to open fire. Was it a political decision or administrative one, and how, in the end, police became a scapegoat. 

Similarly, political parties used police for their vested interests. In the last few years, we had witnessed how leading parties either used police. At times, they were told not to follow the ruling party's order. On the other hand, when some police officials showed loyalty to the party rather that the institution, they were also praised. 

While Balochistan police hardly has any jurisdiction beyond Quetta, which itself raises serious questions, things in Sindh are far from satisfactory. Whether it is because of IGP A D Khwaja or pressure from the establishment, the recent recruitment is said to have been done in a more transparent manner. But, in some cases like the fresh contract given for the repair and maintenance of CCTV cameras without any tenders, may not go well particularly if clearance has been given by the chief minister, in the cover of national security. 

Secondly, in a most surprised policy which could raise serious questions of 'transparency' and favouritism, nepotism, about using and appeasing officers particularly from DMGs, Sindh government had allegedly given hundreds of big plots in posh locality of Defence in what looks like to be a very shady arrangement.

In a province like Sindh, where for the last 27 years provincial government spends billions on the deployment of rangers every year, the successive governments are not ready to depoliticise police, despite the Supreme Court orders.

While the families of the police martyrs still await their legal rights including plots, under this strange policy adopted in the previous government and followed by the present one as well, nobody is ready to tell under what law Sindh's lands are being sold and that too under barter system.

No wonder rangers have been looking after law and order and taking counterterrorism measures for years in the province, as the police have often been used for political purposes.

Interestingly, the police officials also get plots from the federal government, being the employee of the Centre. So, how can they be disloyal to the vested interests rather than being loyal to their institution? 

One senior police officer, now retired, confirmed that he did get a plot under the said scheme. He and many others, considered close to the provincial governments or the PPP top leadership, got the benefit from this scheme, which has already raised questions as to under what provision of law the government lands were being sold on 'barter system’. Secondly, why these plots were never given through the Sindh Housing Foundation? Has the chief minister discretionary power in this regard? More importantly, what criterion was set to give these plots, each worth crores of rupees?

Sources said that in the last eight years of the PPP government, 500 to 600 plots allegedly acquired from the DHA, had been given to the favourites. The matter is also said to be in the knowledge of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

In order to eradicate terrorism and other modes of crime including street crime, it is essential to have a competent and professional police force, which could also ease the pressure from the army and other paramilitary forces. Police have often been accused of being very much politicised. If it is true, who is responsible for it?

It is an irony that we do not have a unified Police Order for all the four provinces, which itself reflects non-seriousness on the part of the federal as well as provincial governments.

It is true that law and order is a provincial subject, but when it comes to postings, from SP to IGP level, all appointments are made by the federal government and, in case of any action, it also requires approval from the secretary establishment.

At times, it becomes too politicised particularly if governments at Centre and in the province belong to different parties. In the past, we have witnessed clash of interests between the PML-N and the PPP governments in the 1980s and 1990s, when the IGP or chief secretaries were used during political confrontations.

After the 18th Amendment, situation has improved, but still the control of the federal government on key posts exists. On the other hand, the provincial governments are also not ready to take measures for depoliticising the police force completely and making it a professional organisation.

For bringing about lasting peace, it is essential to run the police force above political considerations. Instead of spending billions of rupees every year on rangers or the FC, a non-politicised police force should be raised in the Sindh province. Police officers should be accountable or answerable to the IGP, or to the National Public Safety Commission-like body, instead of any minister, MNA or MPA.

Even under martial law or military rule, the police had been used against political parties. If a police official gets employment or posting through a VIP or VVIP, rather than on merit, his loyalty will remain with that individual throughout his career, instead of his institution. 

Among all the law-enforcement agencies, police are most vulnerable and as such often become a soft target. Unlike the army, rangers or FC, police have close interaction with the people but over the years, neither command that kind of respect nor were able to perform their duties in safe environment.

When it comes to corruption, they are easily exposed, though one often receives similar kind of complaints against other agencies, too.

How police can be depoliticised without knowing as to what extent it is politicised and why successive governments, civilian or non-civilian, used police for their political or personal interests. At times, police have been made scapegoat to cover up the crime of others, in the recent years.

If we really want to win the war against terrorism, control crime and ease pressure on the army, it is very important to make police apolitical and a true professional body. All the four provinces and Centre need such a force, but it is the need of the hour in Sindh especially. Can we do it?

The writer is a senior columnist and analyst of GEO, The News and Jang.

Twitter: @MazharAbbasGEO