Another low!
Count on Punjab police to disappoint. The press had just appreciated their quick unraveling of the BB airport heist, which makes news of the Faisalabad gang of assassins involving policemen even more unnerving. It turns out that a former SHO was heading a ten-member gang involved in multiple killings. There are also reports of some of them being connected to some politicians. And while the gang-leader made his escape in time, interrogations of those caught already will no doubt reveal more connections between the criminal underworld and law enforcement agencies.
Considering the police department’s overall reputation, it would be naïve to assume this was an isolated incident. No doubt this led to a crackdown because the villains overstepped one line too many, and killed some people close to former Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah. But now that an important precedent has been set, it must be followed through with full force. Reforming the police has been at the top of every government’s agenda, and there can be no better, or more determined, start than removing the rot from the force.
In the long run, though, a more comprehensive approach is needed. Elements in law enforcement become associated with crime for a host of reasons, most prominent among which is politicisation of the force. Once law enforcers are used to bend or break the law, they invariably indulge in the business of crime over time. And in this regard the present rulers have more been a part of the problem than the solution. Indeed, Rana Sanaullah was law minister when the infamous Model Town incident took place. Clearly orders to fire at unarmed protestors did not originate from the SP’s office. It was only when the phenomenon became a problem for the ruling class that pieces were quickly moved across the board. How those in power respond to this trend of police officials indulging in crime will tell a lot about their commitment to reforms. So far, though, the police force remains largely a disappointment.