ISLAMABAD, Jan 14 (APP):Chief Justice of Pakistan Saqib Nisar said on Monday said the people wanted supremacy of law and not the culture of bribery and corruption in the country.Addressing a ceremony regarding police reforms organized by the Law and Justice Commission of Pakistan here the auditorium of Supreme Court, the CJP said the judiciary did not interfere with the functioning of any institution and delivered justice within its remits. He had always given directions under the legal framework and never crossed the limits, he added.
"If I visited a hospital then it was to tell them that treatment facilities were not there; I did not operate on someone at the hospital," he remarked.
The chief justice said the police had a crucial role in protecting the right to a fair trial, and in the prevention and investigation of the crimes. The existing criminal justice system required urgent reform as a whole, he added.
The police force, he said, could only function efficiently when they were given administrative, operational and financial autonomy.
The CJP said the Police Reforms Committee headed by Justice Asif Saeed Khan Khosa was established with the objective of an independent and impartial police force and its recommendations were very useful which outlined the duties of police officers, the separation of investigation procedures and composition of the commission to promote transparency.
By implementation of those recommendations, he said, the trust deficit between the police and public would decrease. A competent, efficient and responsive police force would be created as a result, he added.
The chief justice stressed upon the need to de-politicize the police to develop public confidence in the system.
Earlier, LJCP Secretary Dr Muhammad Raheem Awan said the LJCP Secretariat was assisting the SC in many public interest cases and similarly by virtue of directions of Chief Justice of Pakistan it provided support to the PRC with the ultimate aim of the creation of an efficient and professional police force to meet the security, law and order related challenges in the country.
He said the police were the most important part of the criminal justice system and it was the responsibility of the government to increase its responsiveness and professionalism in the police force.
PRC convener Afzal Ali Shigri, former Sindh IGP, stated that in the past number of efforts had taken place to improve the performance of criminal justice system, however, the present initiative was distinct as being initiated by the Supreme Court.
The Police Reforms Committee (PRC), he said, after intensive deliberations and discussions prepared the report containing feasible and practical proposals on matters like redressal of grievances and improving quality of investigation etc.
Tariq Pervez, former FIA director general, said the police force should be professionally competent, highly accountable and operationally autonomous. An effective public complaints redressal system was essential for police reforms, he added.
He said the redressal system would have two tiers at the provincial level. The complaints would be heard by Additional IGs / DIGs at the provincial level and the SPs / DSPs by the district level, he added.
He stated that the investigation branch in police should be organized as a separate unit, best officers should be posted in the investigation and making this experience mandatory for promotions.
He said the cost of investigation should be enhanced with provision of forensic support to investigation teams. He stressed upon the need for Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR) system to lessen the burden on courts. Moreover, he stressed the Provincial Justice Committees (PJCs) may be made functional.
Dr Syed Kaleem Imam, Inspector General of Police, Sindh stated that the Sindh Police has developed the complaint redressal mechanism up to district level. He further stated that the Sindh Police has revamped Karachi Police Investigation by posting good officers, investigation setups at town level have been enhanced and creation of post of Additional IGP investigation. Moreover, 200 inspectors for investigation, 170 inspectors for law and 30 PDSPs with a career growth plan and TORs have been recruited.
Moreover, the cost of investigation has been increased and the curriculum models for forensic investigation have been developed.
Dr Shoaib Suddle, former IG Police, presented the vote of thanks and emphasized the improvement of policing in the country and active engagements of the governments in the updation and modernization of Police Laws.
The said ceremony was participated by the serving and retired Judges of the Supreme court of Pakistan, Chief Justices of the High Courts, Federal & State Ministers , Chairmen Parliamentary Committees on Law & Interior, Federal and Provincial Secretaries, Members of Parliament, Inspector General of Police, Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan and Islamabad Capital Territory, the Ambassadors and High Commissioners, Members of Legal Fraternity, Academia, Federal and Provincial Police Officers, Representatives of INGOs/ NGOs, International Development Partners, Media persons etc.
