Peace Mission and Pak-Police

Being an entity of 193 countries of the world, it is responsibility of United Nations Organisation not only to ensure peace in war-ridden countries but also to play its imperative role to diffuse tensions and controversies between different countries and to make an end to internal racial and religious disputes prevailing in all parts of the world.
Scores of reforms were introduced through the platform of UNO in Yugoslavia and Rwanda after futile efforts to control genocide and with the beginning of 21st Century, UNO has been playing very vital role in East Timor, Bosnia, Sudan and other African countries to diffuse racial and religious disputes and laid foundations to strengthen police, judiciary and other key governmental institutions in these countries.
It has been worldwide recognised that Pak-Police and Pak-Force played very crucial role for successes of UNO that it swept in 21st Century and Pakistan Army's 10,000 soldiers and officers are performing responsibilities on difference 'peace missions' across the world, whereas Pak-police also secured best performance award in 2012 in world. Another pride for Pakistan is that Lieutenant General Mushtaq Ahmed is fulfilling his responsibilities as security advisor to Secretary General UN and he is also head of military troops performing under United Nations for peace missions in world.
Pak-Police on UN's peace missions played very crucial role in member of countries of United Nations to diffuse and control racial, religious riots and disputes and initiate crucial role to introduce reforms by providing training in police departments. The services of Police Force on peace missions were acknowledged and appreciated at world level but ruling government discourage police department by disbanding them to allow on UN's peace missions that reduced percentage presence of Pak-Police on UN's peace mission on alarming level and now this presence is very nominal.
The main reason behind this nominal presence of Pak-Police in UN's peace missions is that federal interior ministry during last two years has banned police force to join UN's peace missions.
The Interior Ministry is of the view that Pakistan is in a state of war presently and amidst ongoing challenges, it is not possible to allow police force to go on peace mission in United Nations' member countries as Pakistan is struggling itself to sustain peace and security due to terrorism challenge, while Establishment Division's concerned department disclose that out of total 500 police personnel of Pakistan on UN's peace mission, approximately 400 police official ranked between ASI and DSP, while 20-30 officials are from Pakistan Police Services group that include officials of SP and DIG and these officials for UN's assignment are chosen from all provinces, Azad Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan and Federal Police and regional Police Force. The police officials chosen for UN's peace missions are deputed for a period of three years which is also extendable.
The positive factor for police officials leaving for UN's peace mission is that it not only strengthens their economic stability but these officials also got opportunities for trainings to improve physical fitness and mental, professional skills of international standards. It has also been observed that police officials who came back from UNs peace missions not only get improved their overall performance but they also demonstrate righteousness and professional improvements in performance of their duties.
If percentage of police officials leaving for UN's peace missions is analysed, total strength of police officials in Pakistan is 400,000 and out of this total strength only 500 go on foreign peace mission, which is only 0.12% of total strength of police force and percentage of police officials on UN peace mission is little bit up from zero per cent of total strength of police present in Pakistan.
At a time when our country is in a state of war, excused proposed by Interior Ministry could be debatable but not worthy enough to be approved. This decision of the ministry for not allowing police force on peace missions will not only tarnish Pakistan's image worldwide but also create severe negative implications in the long run.
The most important issue is that if Pakistan doesn't demonstrate its willingness to allow its police for UN's peace missions these opportunities will be grabbed by other South Asian countries including India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh. Secondly, Pakistan's representation for peace mission force will not only decrease as Pakistan is bound compulsorily to forward its police force for peace missions and various memorandums has also been issued to Government of Pakistan from UN Headquarters in New York and Government of Pakistan has been directed to dispatch its police contingents for peace missions. On other side legal and administrative experts are of the view that after 18th Amendment the federal Interior Ministry has been left with nominal control on provincial and regional police force; however, federal Interior Ministry is still interfering in affairs of provincial Interior Ministry and regional police force.
The main reason behind all this ambiguity is that Interior Ministry is focal point for United Nations and United Nations used to contact concerned authorities of Interior Ministry for all sorts of affairs relating police contingents' availability for peace missions but concerned section officer of the ministry instead of informing provincial and regional police departments submitted the letters in the office record as this is not his mandate.
In this scenario the interior minister viewing national interests amidst ongoing scenario should take decision otherwise this opportunity will continuously be transferred to India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.