Most of police encounters happened in Shehbaz’s era: Fawad

LAHORE: Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Chaudhry Fawad Hussain said on Monday that reforms pertaining to police, prosecution, and prisons were needed altogether in order to improve the criminal justice system in the country.

He said this while addressing the launching ceremony of a book titled "Encounter Cops" by senior crime reporter Ahmad Faraz, here at Lahore Press Club. Fawad Chaudhry said he was happy to note that Ahmad Faraz dedicated his book to late Asad Sahi and Zahid Malik, adding that both were big names in the field of reporting.

He observed that all those people in the country who were somehow associated with the criminal justice system should read this book.

Sharing his impression, he said that after going through this book the reader would come to know how police system was ruined in the country after 1990. He said that in his opinion the police system devised by British in 1867 was in shambles and had not been replaced or reformed.

He added that district and rural policing were destroyed extensively and the only option left was to revamp police right from the lower level. Fawad said that since 1990 extra judicial killing claimed the lives of 5,500 people, and more than two-third people among them had fallen victim to extra judicial killings during the tenure of Shehbaz Sharif.

While giving reference from the book of Ahmad Faraz, Federal minister said that from 1991 to 1999, 1858 police encounters were carried out which claimed the lives of 1294 people.

Information minister said that Ahmad Faraz in his book cited different incidents of ‘fake police encounters’ in his book, and compiled useful data for the readers. He stressed that the judiciary, law and police departments had to play their due role for efficient working of criminal justice system.

He highlighted that Prime Minister Imran Khan was going to announce a big programme under which the people of Punjab would avail health insurance facility up to Rs1 million and those earning less than Rs50,000 per month would get a concession of 30 percent on the purchase of basic food items.

Information minister said that journalists would get health cards soon and further said that cameramen and media workers who were earning less than Rs50,000 would get concession of 30 percent on ghee, flour and pulses. To a question, he said that dialogue would be held with those who respect the constitution and law of the country.