PM Kakar calls for attitudinal change to improve police force's image

ISLAMABAD: Caretaker Prime Minister (PM) Anwaarul Haq Kakar on Saturday lauded the contributions and sacrifices of the police force for maintaining law and order in the country and stressed upon the need for change in attitude to improve upon the image of force.

The interim premier made these remarks while addressing the 7th annual conference of former Inspector Generals of Police (AFIGP) who had served the police force for decades.

PM Kakar while expressing his deep appreciation for the police force for maintaining internal order, said that it was a sacrosanct duty and no society could afford chaos as anarchy was unacceptable.

He said the police force was the custodian to protect them from that anarchy and had been serving as the frontline force from sepoy to officer to protect the society.

The caretaker prime minister referring to the functioning of the force, suggested that they required deep introspection as to how to further improve the situation and the image of force.

“Changes can come with change in attitude and not by mere changing the uniform,” he opined.

Appreciating the sacrifices of police force, PM Kakar said that they owed a lot for this force and particularly referred to the sacrifices of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan police besides other provinces.

Recollecting the sacrifice of Shaheed Commandant FC and IGP KP Safwat Ghayur , he said that he had hardly seen an iconic figure like Safwat in the country.

“If he had been alive, he would have been my leader and I would have been his follower,” he added.

The prime minister observed that two noble professions in the country were mistreated including nursing and police, adding that they needed to rebrand them by providing resources and infusing confidence in them.

That brand was more important indicating that self-esteem associated for doing any sort of job was significant, he added.

He said the police force cleaned the filth and dirt from society and were the chosen and noble ones as they were protecting their children.

The caretaker prime minister said that they needed to address the issues which led to issues of mistreatment of the police force.

He narrated the issues faced by two families of martyred police officials who had approached him and regretted that they were not treated in the manner they deserved and also cited Shabana, a police personnel martyred in Swat.

The caretaker prime minister also emphasized upon the need to understand the local challenges and discourse over the effective legal framework.

He said about 90,000 people had been killed in the country in the fight against terrorism and highlighted the importance of effective legislation to counter the security issues.

The prime minister said that with a state of confusion, you ought to falter and fail and clarity in carrying out any business was important.

The prime minister also suggested strengthening of institutional bondage within the police force and further increasing of welfare programmes for the police force.