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Download PDF file - Human Rights Commission of Pakistan

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Annexures 137making must be an openly debated one. This must be done right down to the district and even at the police stationlevel. To further enhance transparency, ways <strong>of</strong> active community/public involvement need to be introduced eitherthrough law or otherwise.Simultaneously, police need to be trained on how to utilise the resources available and prioritise their work.Guidelines can be issued, e.g. by the NPB, on how to prioritise work.<strong>Human</strong> <strong>Rights</strong> Cells in police stations:Mukhtar Ahmed Ali, while referring to an experiment done by the Islamabad Police in 2006, suggested thatin view <strong>of</strong> widespread human rights violations by the police, it would be good idea to establish human rights cellswithin the police stations manned by not the police <strong>of</strong>ficials but civil society organisations and communities whocould report on violations <strong>of</strong> laws on daily basis along side arranging for legal aid where required.It was consensus view <strong>of</strong> the participants that in order to improve the Police needed to open up to the public,as for instance, for increasing resources at the disposal <strong>of</strong> the police community needs to know where and how wasit being spent, and for instance, how willing the police were to bring transparency and openness in its operations.Female PoliceFour main comments were made with regards to female policing:1. Replace male SHOs with female SHOs.2. Create a mandatory female section in police stations.3. Female investigators should be trained and made available for cases <strong>of</strong> violence again women.4. Have all new recruitment <strong>of</strong> constabulary be comprised <strong>of</strong> women.It was stressed that when women are included in the process their experience can be sought to change thethaana culture.TerrorismMr. Dilawar Khan from the ICRC expressed his concern about conflict-ridden areas like Swat where severalpolice <strong>of</strong>ficers were beginning to make public announcements about their disassociation with the police because theTaliban announced that police would be a target. He had not seen police on the ground in Swat despite the fact thatthey were aware <strong>of</strong> bombings in the region. The issue <strong>of</strong> what kind <strong>of</strong> training the police will require in a conflict andpost-conflict situation, as <strong>Pakistan</strong> is experiencing today, was raised by Mr. Dilawar Khan.Mr. Khosa answered by stating that the police have counter-extremism, counter-terrorism and counterinsurgencytraining. Previously, the compensation to martyred policemen was 5 lakhs (five hundred thousand rupees)and it has been increased to 20 lakhs which will go to the families <strong>of</strong> martyred policemen. Mr. Khosa said that effortshave been made to improve conditions for the police due to the extreme hardship being faced by them in today’spolitical climate in <strong>Pakistan</strong>. He also emphasised that the police must emerge on the forefront <strong>of</strong> counter-terrorismefforts.Community policingSome participants during the discussion referred to the provisions <strong>of</strong> the order which envisage Citizen PoliceLiaison Committees and their non-existence on ground. However, the concept <strong>of</strong> community policing was not dealtwith in detail. Mr. I. A. Rehman said that involving community in policing can be the best check to corruption.Involvement <strong>of</strong> people in policing will mean freedom from bureaucratic control, freedom from powerful vestedinterest. Someone originally belonging to Mianwali and posted in Karachi will not have the same interest in improvedpolicing as the local people who have an interest in better policing. So unless we do something to involve people in thesystem we should not expect the desired results.Improvements and way forward through the eyes <strong>of</strong> the police:

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