Punjab police rid of political influence thru meritocracy: PM Imran Khan

MIANWALI: Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that the Punjab Police have been freed from political interference in Naya Pakistan through introduction of meritocracy.

Addressing the inaugural ceremony of a model police station in his hometown Mianwali on Saturday, he said he wanted to see the Punjab police following in the footsteps of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa police. He said setting up of model police stations was only the beginning and the initiative reflected the new mindset in Naya Pakistan.

The premier recalled that in the past, politicians used to control the police by getting their crony SHOs or SPs appointed to their constituencies – not for any good purposes but to victimise or intimidate their opponents through fake cases. Due to the very reason, the people had lost trust in the police, he added. Imran said it was time for police in Punjab to go beyond thana-kutchery culture, prevalent in the country for decades and develop as a force on modern lines. The premier said it was important that citizens get a sense of confidence when they approach a police station for help. When police perform effectively, it can change the fate of the country, he added. He told the Punjab inspector general of police that the government would support them in all areas and make funds available for the force.

The PM said the remodelling of the old police station was very significant where the people would get their complaints addressed through a modern token calling system instead of looking for some references to approach the police officers. “This is very great step. I believe these model police stations would become a model for whole of Punjab,” he hoped. The opening of the model police station by the prime minister during his daylong visit to his native city, was also a symbolic inauguration of total 29 such stations, established across the province. According to the project details, 10 model police stations had been set up in different cities of Gujranwala region, four each in Faisalabad and Dera Ghazi Khan, three in Rawalpindi, Sargodha and Multan, and two in Sheikhupura regions.

Earlier on his arrival at the Mianwali police station, the premier received a guard of honour from the Punjab police personnel, Radio Pakistan reported. He was accompanied by Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar. He also visited a mobile police facilitation centre named as Khidmat Markaz which would address public complaints at their doorsteps. He planted a sapling at the police station as part of the initiative of Clean and Green Pakistan and 10 billion tree tsunami.

IG Police Shoaib Dastgir briefed the prime minister about the project of model police stations and other measures taken by the Punjab Police to provide relief to the people.

Meanwhile, PM Imran Khan inaugurated a Huawei Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) Lab at Namal Institute in Mianwali. The PM was also briefed about state-of-the-art ICT facility at the institute. Advisor to Prime Minister on Commerce Abdul Razak Dawood, senior management of the Namal Institute and representatives of Huawei were also present.