[Opinion] Policing The Police

Mustafa Kamal

After killing of Zuber during the election campaign of Nawaz Khan Naji in Punial, Ghizar District,, the second incident of killing an innocent father and son took place in Hunza. Killing of peaceful people demanding their rights is saddening and contemptible news. It horrifies us. It is a right time to ask the basic questions about the roles and responsibilities of police along with their authority.

According to constitution, the police have no authority to open fire on mobs and protestors. The constitution clearly prohibits such acts of cowardice.

As far as the duties of police on duty are concerned, the Police Order 2002 states:

Subject to law, it shall be the duty of every police officer to –

1. Protect life, property and liberty of citizens;
2. Preserve and promote public peace;
3. Ensure that the rights and privileges, under the law, of a person taken in custody, are protected;
4. Prevent the commission of offences and public nuisance.

The above points have been violated to their best by GB police. It is a high time to ask these questions that under which law they have killed two innocent people and injured five others?

Under the title of ‘Offences by and Punishments for Police Officers’, the Police order states:

1. Without lawful authority, or reasonable cause, enters or searches or causes to be entered or searched any building, vessel, tent or place;
2. Unnecessarily seizes the property of any person;
3. Unnecessarily detains, searches or arrests any person; or
4. Inflicts torture or violence to any person in his custody; shall, for every such offence, on conviction, be punished with imprisonment for a term, which may extend to five years and with fine.

The law clearly states that even under its custody, the police can never torture any person.

There is a need of judicial inquiry to the incident. The police who opened fir must be suspended. When the rangers in Karachi killed Sarfaraz Shah, DG rangers and IG were suspended. In a similar way, Chief Justice f Pakistan must issue orders of IG Giligit’s suspension and case must be filed against those police personals who are involved in these heinous crimes.

The contributor studies at National Defence University (NDU), Islamabad. He belongs to Gupis, Ghizar.