No-confidence move: Security threats, behaviour of police under control of PTI govt

Islamabad : Amidst rapidly evolving political situation in the country, a sense of uncertainty and restlessness has already started to surface in the top brass of Islamabad Police as well as the Islamabad Capital Territory Administration.

In the past, the issue of the appointment of inept officers at top positions in ICT Police and Administration and unreasonable postings and transfers have been raised many a time. Appointment to the top slot of Islamabad Police repeatedly came under criticism for many reasons. These appointments, postings, and transfers always cast long shadows of doubts and carried stink of nepotism. The fact that these hand-picked or ‘highly recommended’ officers for postings and transfers in Islamabad Police failed to achieve the results that they were expected to bring out.

It was an unfortunate observation that these ‘hand-picked or ‘highly-recommended’ officers inducted in the Islamabad Police or the city Administration acted more like the subservient of those who helped them be alleviated to these positions instead of working as the ‘Civil Servants’ and discharge their duties as was required under the rules and regulations. Now it seems that the time has come that they will soon be answerable to their actions.

On one hand, their behaviour and arrogance created ‘bad blood’ between them and the locally inducted and raised police force of Islamabad, which directly adversely impacted policing in the federal capital.

On the other hand, their lack of understanding of the culture and discipline of this city which is full of ‘VVIPs’ led to quite a number of incidents of police accesses and overstepping of the drawn lines under the law.

Now that a political change at the highest level in the government seems to have become most likely, what will be the response and reaction of these officers in the Police as well as in the Administration is to be closely monitored.

Experts now fear that with the political temperature rising in capital and parties calling for showing their political muscle, police will again be put to test. This may entail using its public order management skills and more so its role in being fair and transparent in its decision making especially when dealing with opposition parties.

In view of the track record of previous governments and as well as the incumbent PTI, it can be safely predicted that the police will surely fail in the case later and may become bitterly exposed in the case of the former for lack of its capability to effectively handle politically-charged crowds.

This challenge becomes even more acute if a general perception prevails that the sitting government is hell-bent to use the police against its opponents. Experts argue that civil society and the judiciary must then step in to make sure that these excesses are exposed and liability for such actions shall extend beyond the institution to those who make these decisions and force them on the police.

The general public votes for politicians with the expectation that they will build and not ruin the public institutions. This belief is most critically reserved for such institutions that are obliged to protect the life, liberty, and property of the citizens of this country. The fundamental principle to preserve this principle is by insulating the police from political interference and safeguarding its operational responsibility.

The law enforcement agencies and the district administration and the sensitive intelligence agencies have, finally, decided to maintain order in the federal capital at all costs, especially, after a meeting of the delegation of oppositions parties with the administrative and police heads on Friday, the sources said and added that additional force could be called in to assist civil administration and the sensitive areas would be containerised to protect diplomatic enclave and foreign missionaries.