Gilgit: Police-Community forums bringing the citizens and police closer

PT Report

Gilgit, March 17: SP Zia Ali today visited the Baseen area of Gilgit where a Police Community Forum was established. He held a discussion with representatives of the community. 

The Gilgit Police has started establishing Police-Community Forums (CPFs) in the city. The CPFs aim to bridge the widening gap between the citizens and the police department, while also allowing greater interaction and information sharing between them, as part of the efforts to establish durable peace in the region.

The forums will be spaces where elders and youth of the society will be able to engage with the police officials in a constructive manner.

In the volatile law and order situation of Gilgit-Baltistan, the citizens are wary of the way the police department has been operated. Politicians, religious leaders and ordinary citizens have been blaming the police officials of being involved in sectarian violence in the past.

Similarly, the police have complained that the citizens protect criminals by providing them shelters and refraining from sharing information about wanted terrorists.

The Police- Community Forum, in this context, are a promising step towards reducing the gap and restoring the trust of the public in the performance of the police department.

It is pertinent to note that the Gilgit-Baltistan Police aims to replicate these forums in other districts of the region.