Political instability dented reforms implementation: Ahsan Iqbal

ISLAMABAD: One of the biggest challenges Pakistan is facing for the last 70 years is the lack of a stable political system and discontinuity in policies, says Ahsan Iqba, Federal Minister for Interior.

Speaking at a seminar titled: “Disparities in police systems in provinces and the federal capital” organised by Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) and attended by a select number of police officials, lawyers, and legislators here Thursday, the minister said that since independence, every single political government was either derailed or destabilised, which led to non-implementation of reforms, especially in the police department. He added that in this situation, even the country’s whole machinery cannot function.

“Failure in the implementation of previous police reforms resulted in an unstable society, lack of key stakeholders’ involvement and lack of consensus on the reforms initiative,” Ahsan Iqbal said, adding, “For the implementation of reforms in any sector, including police, we need to ensure a peaceful and stable democratic system, which is the future of Pakistan.” Otherwise, he warned, the same story of destabilisation of political system will be repeated every time and the country will remain in the state of oblivion.

Gen (R) Moinuddin Haider, ex-governor Sindh, on the occasion said that in any society, local government and policing are two important pillars and institutions for wellbeing and prosperity of public. However, in Pakistan, he said our police is highly politicised and is being used for serving personnel interest. He said Police Order 2002 is an excellent document and should be implemented in all provinces, including in Gilgit-Baltistan, Azad Kashmir and Fata.

The SDPI Executive Director Dr Abid Qayum Suleri said Pakistan has witnessed around 28 different police reform initiatives, but none yielded its fruits due to lack of ownership at all levels. “The implementation of different police orders in parts of Pakistan, in fact, has generated disparities among the police force,” he said, adding that it also has reflection on the people experiencing policing in a different manner. He said a person at work in Islamabad has to experience policing according to the Police Act, 1861, while the same person in Rawalpindi has to experience policing according to the Punjab Police Order, 2013, which is an amended version of the Police Order, 2002.

Speaking later, Dr Shoaib Suddle, ex-DG of Intelligence Bureau, said the Police Order, 2002, which was promulgated on 14 August, 2002, replaced the Police Act, 1861 in all four provinces of Pakistan. “This was not extended to the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), Gilgit-Baltistan or Azad Jammu and Kashmir,” he said, adding that based on the Police Order, 2002, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa introduced their own police orders. He said Sindh initially adopted the same, but later on in 2011, it reverted back to the Police Act, 1861, whereas, the ICT and Fata also have the Police Act 1861 in place with some minor changes.

“Our police service is now in the state of fragmentation, which was exposed in the recent Faizabad sit-ins, where there was no coordination and collaboration between ICT police and Punjab police,” Dr Suddle said, adding that unless we move towards a uniformed police law, we may not get out of this quagmire.