Dear Readers,
An efficient, well-functioning police service is critical to counterinsurgency as well as counter-terrorism efforts in Pakistan, at the same time, It must also address rising crime rates and a deteriorating law and order situation. The capacity of the Pakistan Police to deliver on all these fronts is severely diminished by political manipulation, lack of forensic services, Inadequate training and equipment, corruption, etc. Disconnect and lack of coordination between policing and intelligence organizations also are major hurdles. Reform is needed but for meaningful reform the internal lacunae must be overcome: political appointments must end; postings, recruitment, and promotions must be made on merit alone; and corrupt officers be taken to task. Upgrading the existing police system as the central law enforcement institution cannot occur in isolation, it must be part of an overarching restructuring of the total law enforcement infrastructure, including a reform of the criminal justice system and the stripping of politically motivated amendments from the Police act of 2002. the Sindh Police is doing a very good job particularly after the 2017 Sindh high Court’s ruling in Favour of autonomy of the Sindh Police, this eliminated undue political interference and visible improvement has been achieved. Karachi dropped from 6th most dangerous city in 2014 to 61st in 2019 and 88th in 2020 by Numbeo.com. The murder rate in entire Sindh declined by 70% when compared to 2013. This proves that the discipline of the police force and its internal accountability improved considerably when officers started looking up to their professional commanders rather than political heavy weights. For the benefit of readers my article titled “An hour with the Sindh Police” is reproduced below.
Inspector General of Police (IGP) Sindh, Dr. Syed Kaleem Imam has taken various far reaching initiatives to not only build the capacity of police officers in the province but build public trust through ensuring better service delivery to the people of the province. Apart from establishing schools of investigations, Finance and information technology he has generated activities based on learning and wider interaction for the police officers. One of the such innovative ideas was to start an interactive session with the people from different walks of life, called “An Hour with a Guest”.
Through this program 31 people have been invited so far to Central Police Office, Sindh in Karachi. hailing from almost every profession ranging from artists to teachers, all these people have earned their name on national and international levels by having excelled in their professions. People like Air Chief Marshal Wussat Ullah khan, Anwar Maqsood, Bushra Ansari, Tariq Khosa, Hassan Abbas, etc. have graced this forum with their presence. In this one hour interactive session the guest speaks for about thirty (30) minutes about his life, ideas and achievements. During the 25 minutes question answer sessions which follows, the participants ask various questions from the guest related to his discourse. around 50 police officials and officers from all ranks attend this session based on Chatham house rules for an open discussion to be held on various aspects of life and professions.
I had the honour and privilege of being a guest for this program on Feb 12, 2020 warmly received by the IGP and other senior officers of Sindh Police. I was introduced to the audience by the IGP. My talk covered important events during my service in Pakistan army, with special mention of 1971 war between Pakistan and India. my escape from Indian prisoner of war PW Camp (Escape From oblivion: oxford university Press) was a source of interest for the audience as were the situation and challenges in East Pakistan during those turbulent times. I followed this by
giving a comprehensive picture of emerging challenges for internal security and law enforcement in Pakistan and discussed the developing arena of “Hybrid Warfare” in Pakistan. this awareness is badly needed for the police officers who need to get ready for these future policing challenges in the domain of cyber crimes and social media. this hour talk by me was followed by “Question and answer” session ranging from my personal life to internal and regional security canvas.
Acknowledging the achievements by Sindh Police under the dynamic leadership of Syed Kaleem Imam, I appreciated the sustained efforts of the Sindh Police leadership in bringing peace to the Karachi metropolis where once terror and blood reigned supreme. The lights to the city have been restored by the blood sacrificed by the Jawans of law Enforcement agencies (LEAs) in the city including Police, rangers and security forces. Around 2300 Jawans and officers have laid down their lives to bring peace and order in this province. People of Sindh in general and Karachi in particular owe a great to the mothers, Fathers, Widows, Sons and daughters of these martyrs for their great sacrifice.
To note a personal example of the dedication and hard work of the Sindh Police, I am quoting from an article by Capt. Pervaiz Malik entitled “Far above the Call of Duty, by “On Friday, 3rd January 2020 at about 1430 hours an armoured Cash in transit (CIT) vehicle of my private security services company Wackenhut Private limited was parked outside Yusuf Plaza branch of summit bank in Karachi to pick up cash. Security guard Ghulam Abbas and vehicle commander Muhammad Nazeer came out of the bank branch carrying cash bags and placed the same in the vehicle. As they were about to close the door of the vehicle they were attacked by 3 armed men who opened indiscriminate fire inside the closed confines of the vehicle. During the ensued gun battle, Ghulam Abbas sustained three bullet wounds and Commander Nazeer a bullet to his shoulder. Muhammad Nazeer despite his injuries reacted and fired back at the attacker from inside of the vehicle. His utmost professionalism and thorough training paid off and the attacker was hit in the stomach. The attacker in the melee managed to escape with a cash bag which was about to be placed in the vault of the vehicle, here a word of appreciation is must for the crew of the vehicle. the intent of the attackers, Right from the onset of events, was to kill all and take away whatever cash was inside the vehicle. But what they did not anticipate and foresee, was the dedication and sense of responsibility of the crews. The fight back by the crews prevented them to carry out their heinous act in its entirety. They were unable to snatch the other cash bags lying in the vehicle because of the resistance by Nazeer.
Both guards were immediately evacuated to Zia Uddin hospital in north Nazimabad by the CIT driver. After getting medical supervision Nazeer was discharged the same day. Ghulam Abbas who sustained three bullets fought for his life in the hospital. A major surgery was performed for three hours after which he was moved to ICU a total of 55 bottles of blood was transfused to the injured guard by his colleagues in the company.
A First information report was lodged on the day of the incident and the case was pursued on all levels. I personally spoke to the IGP who mandated SSP Asif Rao to pursue the matter. Sindh Police showed a side which might be unknown to many. Working day and night to crack this blind case, in just seven days they not only apprehended all the culprits but also recovered the stolen cash. There efforts are greatly commendable, they went beyond call of duty. They worked in a manner that one only expects from the police of a highly developed country. the way forensic and investigation was carried out deserve an appreciation. A dedicated officer and a pride for the Sindh police¸ the IGP Sindh remained in constant touch with me, so did the SHO, DSP,SP, SSP in the field regardless of their rank. This was truly professional and competent team work by the police.
These unsung armed uniformed personnel carry out their assigned duties, Unnamed and unrecognized, Their performance saves precious lives by putting themselves in harm’s way. They have very little reward except for their salary and at times, Overtime. Disregarding their personal safety they invariably display commendable initiative and courage when faced with threatening situations. They are a selfless lot, Not complaining but being satisfied with what they have and striving always to perform beyond the call of duty. One’s heart is filled with pride in having the selfless devotion to duty of such remarkable men of courage,” unquote.
Karachi used to be the 6th most dangerous city in the world; International community used to issue travel advisories for their citizens to avoid travelling this city. Now with the untiring and relentless efforts of Police and other law enforcement agencies Karachi in 2020 is ranked 93 on the index of most dangerous cities in the world; Even better than Washington and new Delhi. IGP Sindh assured me that their resolve to restore the ultimate tranquility to this Mega Polis is strengthened by the belief that Sindh Police is capable of doing wonders through its Professionalism, Commitment and Resilience.
Expressing my gratitude for the souvenirs of Sindh Police presented to me, I also thanked Syed kaleem Imam for giving an opportunity to interact with Police Officers through this unique forum. To me the most cherished moment was laying a wreath on the newly constructed “martyrs memorial”, a wall with all the names of Shaheeds, At Central Police office.
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