On account of negligence of police high-ups and corruption, over 2,500 cases of different nature are pending with Islamabad police who have neither investigated the cases nor have they arrested culprits been arrested, prompting fears that it could increase lawlessness in the city.
Of 2,500 pending cases, 405 are pending with Margalla police station, 350 with Kohsar police station, 320 with Shalimar police station, 285 with Aabpara police station, 218 with Shehzad Town police station, 128 with Bara Kahu police station, 171 with Industrial Area police station, 165 with Sabzi Mandi police station, 101 with Ternol police station, 99 with Koral police station , 68 with Sihala police station, 60 with Secretariat police station, 40 with Golra police station, 20 with Nilore police station and 20 with women police station, an official source told Pakistan Today.
The source said the main reason for a large number of pending cases was that investigators only took interest in the investigation of crimes against the person (people). Murders, rape and assaults are all considered to be crimes against people. “In crimes against people, the victims mostly nominate offenders and police take bribe from both the victims and the accused,” he said.
He said that investigators did not take interest in crimes against property. A criminal act that destroys property or deprives an owner of his property is called a crime against property such as burglary, theft, robbery, car lifting, embezzlement and extortion. “The cases of crimes against property remain pending for years as mostly FIR are registered against unknown people. Neither the police investigate such cases nor do the complainants pursue them,” he said.
Another official was of the view that poor check and balance over the city police stations was one of the main reasons for the rising number of pending cases. “The police high-ups ask about the cases related to influential people only and do not bother to question their subordinates regarding ordinary people’s cases,” he said.
The official said Margalla, Kohsar, Shalimar and Aabpara police stations located in the urban areas were having a large number of car lifting, robbery and murder cases which had not been investigated. He added that the main reason for the rising crime rate in the capital was such a large number of pending cases, which was not only encouraging criminals but also leaving a bad impression on the young generation, in particular, and on the society, in general.
He opined that for lack of proper training and education of police investigation officers and the team constituted for the investigation of different cases, the ratio of pending cases was increasing with the passage of time. “Most of police investigators do not follow the proper procedure of investigation,” he said. The official said that lack of resources and the latest equipment with the police department was another reason for the pending cases.
Most of victims bore the expenses of investigation, but the police high-ups turned a blind eye to it, he said.
