ONE cannot agree more with Chief Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif that the Thana culture needs to be completely destroyed. He regretted the fact that despite a substantial salary raise and preventing politicians from poking their noses into the working of the department, things remained the same. While his concern about the sorry state of affairs is to be welcomed, he would have to literally put his shoulders to the wheel if he really wants to defeat the scourge. During his stints in the past, he had talked about it but without serious action. The people would be best served not by speeches, but by a friendly and professional police institution. Once again elected to public office through a heavy mandate in Punjab, the ball is clearly in Mian Shahbazs court. It will be no exaggeration to state that the Thana culture is one thing that bugs the citizens the most about the country. Ruthless and violent, the police officials belonging to different cardres are a really bad, feared lot. Picking up persons arbitrarily, staging fake encounters, filing fake FIRs, torturing and harassing the public are just some of the hallmarks of the department. It is most unfortunate that those wearing the uniform and supposed to enforce the law have become a law unto themselves. But at the end of the day, the fault is not entirely of the police; notable political figures supposed to promote nation-building are also to blame. It is a pity that given their obsession for tight security and their penchant for truckloads of heavily armed commandoes, only a fraction of the force is left for regular policing. The tremendous amount of powers given to the police, virtually without any system of accountability, needs to be curtailed. Secondly, things can also change a lot provided a robust oversight mechanism is installed. Indeed reforming the department would be an uphill task since the police force would strongly stick to the status quo; but there is no reason why Mian Shahbaz cannot turn the tide.