LAHORE - Punjab Assembly Speaker Ch Parvez Elahi on Monday held the previous regime responsible for increase in crime rate, saying lack of manpower due to prolonged ban on recruitment affected performance of police. 

Conducting PA proceedings during question hour on Home Department, he said that there was complete ban on recruitment in police during 10-year tenure of the PML-N that badly affected performance of the law enforcement agency. 

To a question about increase in number of FIRs, Law Minister Raja Basharat said that easy process and lack of political influence was causing the police to register all complaints of public at large. During the PML-N regime, he said, the police was avoiding registration of FIRs to show less crime rate. But now the police have been directed to register FIRs soon on receiving complaints. The chair also put onus on the shoulders of PML-N, saying no recruitments had been made in Police Department since a decade that is why the crime ratio increased. He said that “Chotu” gang will become more powerful when there will be no police and no patrolling in the areas. He said that funds were also not utilised on police during PML-N regime and therefore Army was called in to tame the ‘Chotu Gang’.

Raja Basharat sees easy process, lack of political influence behind registration of all public complaints 

Responding to query of PML-N’s Iftikhar Hussain Chhachhar, Raja Basharat stressed the need for not asking irrelevant and immature questions at the highest forum in the province. “You contested election from Okara but are unaware about the number of police stations and villages there. Please put serious or substantial questions having link with public problems,” he suggested the legislator. 

“After a long time, the present government has provided new vehicles to the police. Funds have been earmarked in the current budget for setting up 97 new petrol posts across the province”, he said, adding, that a regular campaign had been launched across the province for arrest of proclaimed offenders. He said that Inspector General Police (IGP) used to take reports from all the districts every month for the arrest of POs. He said that action was also being taken against the officers for poor performance. He said that Buzdar government had declared the current fiscal year as the year of construction and repair of police stations and no budget had been allocated for residences of police officers. Responding to PML-N’s Tahir Khalil Sindhu, he said that Attaullah Tarar and his associates stormed the police station last day and also tore apart police officials’ uniforms. “This attitude to take the law into own hands should be changed. We have registered a case against those responsible and action will be taken against them according to the law,” he added.

As the question-hour ended, an opposition lawmaker pointed out quorum. As the quorum remained incomplete even after ringing bells, the chair adjourned the session till July 29 (Thursday) at 1pm.