PM asks Buzdar to rid Punjab police of tainted cops

LAHORE: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday directed Chief Minister Punjab Usman Buzdar to rid the police force of personnel with criminal record, ARY News reported.

In order to bring in reforms in the Punjab Police, Khan issued several instructions to Buzdar in this regard.

He directed the CM to scrutinize police force and identify those with criminal background. He asked the chief minister expedite the scrutiny process.

PM Khan said police system needs to be overhauled in the province on immediate basis.

Buzdar said the scrutiny process had already begun in the police department, adding it would take around six months for its completion.

The premier on Jan 21 promised reforms in Punjab police after the Sahiwal incident and said anyone found guilty will be given an “exemplary punishment.” In a tweet, he said “the incumbent premier said the grief and anger of the people of Pakistan over the Sahiwal incident was understandable & justified.”

“I assure the nation that when I return from Qatar not only will the guilty be given exemplary punishment, but I will review the entire structure of Punjab police & start process of reforming it,” he added.

The calls for reforms in the Punjab police erupted after a horrific encounter by Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) personnel in which three members of the family were killed.

Four people, including two women, were killed in a shady encounter involving the Punjab police’s CTD on a highway in the Qadirabad area of Sahiwal district over the weekend.

“While the CTD has done a great job in fight against terrorism, everyone must be accountable before the law,” the prime minister had stated, promising that as soon as a JIT report comes, swift action would be taken against those found responsible. “The govt’s priority is protection of all its citizens.”

The Sahiwal incident had sent shock waves across the country after one of the surviving children who witnessed the episode refuted the official version of the CTD.