Helping Sindh police

Involving the army

The Sindh government’s decision to add a 20,000 strong, army trained, contingent to its police force is welcome. The backdrop is important. The Karachi Operation, despite coming under the microscope for a few reasons, has reduced everyday, and serious, crime to a large extent. And while Rangers displayed discipline and dedication, the Operation also revealed some of the police force’s limitations that have been public knowledge for a long time. That is precisely why this is the perfect time for such an initiative. Criminal networks are on the defensive. And since the police force needs to be upgraded, there could not be a better window.

Such initiatives need to be followed in other provinces as well, especially Punjab. Nobody needs reminding of how the Chotu incident recently exposed the Punjab police’s incompetence and also embarrassed the provincial government. Only days before had the CM proudly boasted that his province did not need a Karachi style operation since the police force was more than capable. Now, there’s a new reality to be confronted. The Operation will, sooner or later, come to Punjab. So the sooner the police goes to the army for Sindh style training the better.

Nobody seems to realise though – at least not the government – that this is a reverse arrangement at best. The army, usually, has no business policing cities. Even now it is only doing so because the police is simply incapable. The urban insurgency, at least, would not have grown this big if the police were up to the task in the first place. But since the army is doing the bulk of the work in this long war, it might as well also train the police. Sindh’s decision to beef up, all else remaining the same, is the right thing to do.