Islamabad: Political interference in the police, arbitrary appointments of officers, and an archaic police model have contributed to the decline of the police department. The Concept of democratic police: how to adopt it in Pakistan? A discussion was held on this topic at the School of Governance and Society, University of Management and Technology. Dr. Naveed Elahi moderated the debate. The participants included Shaukat Javed, former IG Police, Sarmad Saeed Khan, former IG Police, Kamran Lashari, former Chief Secretary, Mohsin Goraya, Senior Journalist and Columnist, Zafar Kalanuri, Senior Advocate Supreme Court, Professor Rahat Al Ain, Naeem Aslam, Former Dean National School of Public Policy, Dr. Sami Waheed, and Shahid Rahim, Former Dean National School of Public Policy. Amna Siddique Senior officer liaison, Hafiz Muhammad Awais MS Public Policy, and students also attended the session.
All the participants expressed their expert views on how to run the police in a democratic way in Pakistan and to enhance the credibility and respect of the police among the people. All the participants agreed that political use of police and interference in their postings are the root cause of the problem. The police should be a symbol of safety and security, not terror. Police culture needs to change. Actions against police officers on political grounds also lead to ill-will in the force. They should be respected and protected to protect and respect the people. A common man must have access to superior police officers. Some participants said that since the whole system has gone haywire, it is futile to expect exceptional performance from one department. The School of Governance and Society will soon issue a report in light of this debate.
