ISLAMABAD: Minister of state for Interior Shehryar Afridi today pledged to bring much-needed police reforms and termed the old 1860 Police Act, crumbling judicial system and Police laws reasons behind loopholes in the administrative structure.
Addressing to the National Assembly session, the interior minister expressed that if we talk about state institutions, if there was no coordination among them, the federation was at daggers drawn with the provinces then there would be bloodshed and no improvement in the deteriorating situation.
Referring to Sahiwal shootout, Afridi said that no comments would be made before the joint investigation team (JIT) was released. “The JIT report will be launched within three days. If I have to resign, I will vehemently go for it but let the investigation get completed,” he said.
The interior minister lambasted Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) leader Muhammad Ali Wazir for his rhetoric calling Pashtuns being marginalized and oppressed in the country. He said, “Ali Wazir talked about tribal areas’ people and their issues. The doors of the ministry of interior are open for you and I will visit every corner of North and South Waziristan to redress the grievances of the tribals.”
“If I had malice for him (Ali Wazir) then I would have never called him to be a part of negotiations for his dead body with the Afghan officials. I rather allowed him to be a part of the dialogue,” he added. Afridi informed that a JIT and parliamentary committee had been formed on this issue and he would table the details before the house.
He wondered that why Ali Wazir and PTM leadership did not raise their voice for the rights of deprived Balochs who fell a prey to the discriminatory policies of the former government and the tribal people who were not mainstreamed in the national ambit since 1947 despite their vehement support for Pakistan during partition. “Why you people do not speak of Kalbhushhan Yadhav and not even a single first investigation report has been lodged against him by you?” he regretted.
He went on saying that Pashtuns were not marginalized and discriminated at present as it was a fifth generation war agenda which should be forbidden and shunned. “The National Assembly Speaker, Chairman Senate, Leader of the House in Senate, eleven cabinet members and key leaders of all political parties are Pashtuns and there is nothing like their discrimination and suppression,” he stated.
He suggested that a resolution should be passed that would cancel the membership of every political party that possesses any armed wing. A parliamentary committee should be constituted to so that the victims of Sahiwal incident and other victims of severe brutalities should be given justice.
Minister for Communications and Postal Services Murad Saeed said that officials involved in Sahiwal incident will be punished and no laxity in this regard will be tolerated. Addressing at National Assembly, the minister said: “I assure the nation as a minister that perpetrators of this act will be punished and those trying to neglect of forgetting it would not be allowed to do so.”
He said that only condemning this incident would not be enough as the persons were killed in front of their children.
“Neither anyone can defend this act nor it can be compensated”, the minister said adding that everyone sitting in this House should take responsibility to avoid such happenings again.
Murad Saeed said that hurdles were created in past to investigate Model Town incident and the murder of Naqeeb Ullah was also politicized.
He said that Rao Anwaar was defended by some elements in past who used to call him as `own brave child’.
He said that National Action Plan made after the incident of Army Public School was not fully implemented.
The minister said that officials like Abid Boxer, Rao Anwaar and their handlers would have to be fixed.
He said that innocent people were killed in past during fake encounters and typical police culture was not changed.
There is a need to change police mindset and collective efforts would have to be made for this purpose, the minister said and also stressed to improve the accountability system in all departments.
A relevant piece published earlier:
