Call to convene meeting of Public Safety and Police Complaints Commission

Two civil society members of the Sindh Public Safety and Police Complaints Commission have expressed serious concerns over an inordinate delay in the convening of the mandatory monthly meetings of the commission which have not been convened for the last five months.

In a joint statement issued on Wednesday, the civil society nominated members of the commission, Karamat Ali and Nazim F Haji, stated that several serious matters were pending to be discussed and decided before the commission, but the meeting was not being convened and further delayed.

In this regard, the two members said they had written a letter to the chairman of the commission and the Sindh chief minister, Syed Murad Ali Shah, on June 15 but no action had been taken so far.

“As per the Sindh (Repeal of the Police Act, 1861 and Revival of Police Order, 2002) (Amendment) Act, 2019 the Provincial Public Safety and Police Complaints Commission is supposed to hold its monthly meetings in the first week of every month. The last meeting of the commission was held on February 8,” the statement said.

“There are a number of important and urgent issues that needed to be discussed and decided in the commission’s forthcoming meetings, but due to extreme engagements of the chief minister during the coronavirus epidemic control exercises, the monthly meetings of the commission were delayed.”

They pointed out that it was also possible that the commission held its meetings when the chairperson was unable to attend the meetings due to their engagement in other important matters and a member could chair the meetings.

They asked the provincial government to immediately convene an urgent meeting of the commission to discuss the pending issues.