Punjab Police given free hand to kill criminals in encounters, says Rana Sana Wednesday, June 26, 2013 From The News Print Edition LAHORE Punjab Law Minister Rana Sana has claimed that the provincial government has given a free hand to the police to go after hardened criminals, arrest them and, in case of resistance, kill them on the spot. Responding to the allegations of the Opposition regarding increasing incidents of police encounters in Punjab in which many innocent people were killed, Sana claimed that if they were so innocent they should have appeared before the courts for trial instead of becoming absconders. He stated majority of these “innocent” people were involved in heinous crimes, including dacoity-cum-murders, murders and rape. He made references to many criminals’ gangs involved in heinous crimes and whose members were finally killed in encounters. He also hinted at changes to Police Order 2000 with the objective of changing Thana culture and bringing about reforms in police department. Sana further claimed that the provincial government had decided to recruit 1,420 sub-inspectors through the Punjab Public Service Commission (PPSC) in connection with Police Reforms. While defending the Police Department against the onslaught of the opposition on a cut motion during demands for grants here on Tuesday, Sana claimed that the government had decided to recruit police officers strictly on merit as it was determined to change Thana culture at any cost. Earlier, the Opposition benches, through a cut motion, demanded reduction in grants to the Police Department from Rs70 billion to Re 1 because police had miserably failed to ensure law and order in the province. Aslam Iqbal from the PTI was of the view that there were around 200,000 absconders while police were busy in providing security to the Sharif brothers and their families. He alleged that there were 240 commandoes and 220 police cops appointed for the security of Nawaz while 95 commandoes and 840 police were reserved for the security of Shahbaz. He further claimed that 27 vehicles of Elite Force were stationed at Raiwind for the security of “the elite class.” Iqbal was of the view that there 13,500 crime incidents registered per day in Punjab though the provincial government had strictly forbidden police for registering FIRs of such incidents. He said that it was not the job of the police to provide security to the politicians but they were supposed to protect the poor. He claimed that the jails in Punjab had become training centres for criminals instead of their reformation. PML-Q’s Samina Khawar Hayat was of the view that the Police performance could not improve through changing their uniforms or changing designs of Thana buildings. She alleged that Punjab had become the home ground of criminals while the police resources were spent on the security of the Sharifs. Responding to the Opposition’s onslaught, Sana claimed that they were providing security to all those religious and political figures who were facing life threats. He claimed that the provincial government was using all resources for controlling crime and improving law and order. He hinted at amendments to Police Order 2000 and that its draft bill would be tabled in the assembly soon. At the end, the Treasury members dropped the cut motion, proposed by the opposition, and approved the demands for grant for the Police Department worth around Rs70 billion.
Posted on: Sun, 30 Jun 2013 08:29:34 +0000
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