he Punjab government’s recent decision to replace the Crime Investigation Agency with Control Crime Department at the provincial level has received mixed reactions from the public as well as within the police circles, with many seeing it as a politically motivated endeavour rather than an administrative reform.

The sceptics say that this has not only created room for political leaders to place some of their favourite police officers in key positions, but also generated significant ambiguity regarding the jurisdiction of the Investigation Wing of the police when it comes to handling high-profile cases and heinous crimes such as dacoity, kidnapping for ransom, extortion and murder.

To support the claim of political influence in the formation of the CCD, a senior police officer says on condition of anonymity that the key appointments made in the newly established department are “politically driven, as senior officers in these positions are known for their loyalty to the PML-N.”

The officer particularly refers to certain individuals who were in the Anti Corruption Department before their names were announced for prestigious posts in the CCD. The officer insists that these police officers have helped the government deal with its political opponents.

Sardar Asif Sial, a senior advocate of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, expressed concern that the extensive powers granted to the CCD to detain suspects and keep them in custody for an indefinite period could lead to suppression and violation of human rights.

In some cases, the possibility of custodial deaths cannot be ruled out, he added.

To substantiate his point, Sial cited several recent police actions.

He noted that when a case is handled by the IW, the police are obligated to present the suspect in a court within 24 hours. It was unclear, he said, what mechanisms were in place to prevent illegal confinement by the CCD.

He anticipated a rise in extrajudicial police encounters after the establishment of the CCD, not only in Lahore but also in southern Punjab.

Sardar Asif Sial, a senior advocate of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, expressed concern that the extensive powers granted to the CCD to detain suspects and keep them in custody for an indefinite period could lead to suppression and violation of human rights.

The CCD was constituted after the Punjab governor promulgated the Police Order (Amendment) Ordinance, 2023. A gazette notification has been issued by the Law Department in this regard.

Giving details of the hierarchy within the CCD, and its modus operandi, Aftab Phularwan, one of the three newly appointed SPs in Lahore, said that the provincial metropolis had been divided into three sectors, each to be supervised by an SP.

He further said that the CCD in capital city district would be led by an officer of the rank of the DIG, while in other city districts it would be headed by an SSP.

Phularwan said that earlier the police officers posted in the CIA lacked authority to lodge FIRs against criminals involved in heinous cases and were dependent on SHOs at the police stations. The newly promulgated ordinance has granted them powers to register FIRs, as they are also in charge of the CCD police stations now.

According to Phularwan, the categories of crimes to be dealt with by the CCD under the ordinance include kidnapping for ransom, extortion, dacoity, robbery, dacoity with murder, robbery with murder, theft of motor vehicles, housebreak in order to commit some offence, trafficking of narcotic drugs, human trafficking and crimes against property committed by inter-provincial or inter-district gangs.

He said that the head of the CCD had been empowered to constitute a special investigation team/ cell to work on different categories of cases. The IGP may, through a standing order, post as many officers in the department as he deems fit.

Phularwan believes that the formation of the CCD will go a long way in eradicating heinous crimes in the city.

Another senior police officer, who requested not to be named, said there would be 10 CCD regions in the province, each headed by an additional IG. In five of these, officers of the rank of SSP will look after the city, while the remaining five will be supervised by police officers of the rank of SP.

Three DIGs (in charge of Admin, Vigilance & Inspection) will be working under the direct command of the additional IG, he said.

With a strength of over 4,000, including specially trained police commandos equipped with the latest weapons, the CCD is expected to introduce some new ranks also.

So far, 36 CCD police stations, including three in Lahore, have been set up across the Punjab.

Some police officers in the IW think that the move to set up the CCD will curtail their powers, limiting them to cases that involve sections of the Pakistan Penal Code that provide for lesser punishments.

When contacted, Muhammad Naveed, SSP Investigation, Lahore, said that even though the CCD had the authority to register FIRs regarding heinous crimes, cases lodged at police stations falling in the jurisdiction of the IW would also be shifted to the CCD.

Under the rules, the investigation of these cases could be transferred only after a change of the first investigation of the relevant cases is approved by the police’s Board of Investigation Wing.

Ahsan Zia is a print and broadcast journalist