BY UZMA ZAFAR
ISLAMABAD: Federal Minster for Human Rights Dr Sheereen M Mazari said that the government is committed for the protection and promotion of human rights of all the citizens of the country as per constitution. Addressing to the international conference on ‘Community Policing and Post-Conflict Police Reform in Pakistan’, she said that many issues are common in many countries like minorities and climate change.
‘We can see minority problems in Europe and India.
She further said that there is a difference between community policing and post conflict community police. In FATA which is post conflict zone, we need to involve local community to build trust in traumatized society, we need to bring local people in police and administration.’ She said that police need to change its image from harsh to supportive institution through inviting people and community policing.
She also mentioned that Islamabad police registered First Investigative Report (FIR)against nine religious party persons who threw stones on participants of Aurat March which developed trust of people.
The conference was organized by the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), Norway, COMSATS University Islamabad (CUI), Abbottabad Campus and Rozan, Islamabad. The conference focused on sharing knowledge and experiences from the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 funded project extended over a period of five years in 11 post-conflict countries (Afghanistan, Pakistan, Uganda, Kenya, Somalia, Nicaragua, Guatemala, El Salvador, Kosovo, Serbia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina). NMBU’s global team of 15 research institutions and 45 international police experts, practitioners and civil society organizations jointly worked on this research project.
The speakers of conference include, Androulla Kaminara, European Union Ambassador to Pakistan, Dr Raheel Qamar (T.I), Rector COMSATS University Islamabad, Mr. Ihsan Ghani, Former National Coordinator of National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA), B. A. Nasir, Additional IGP, Establishment, CPO Punjab, Dr. Ehsan Sadiq, Additional Inspector General, FIA, Ms. A. Heather, UN Police Advisor, Ms. Kahsmala Tariq, Federal Ombudsperson, Islamabad, Dr. Sohail Habib Tajik, Regional Police Officer (RPO) Rawalpindi, Babar Bashir Managing Director Rozan and Cecilia Dunster, UK Police officer.
Speakers highlighted the role of police to ensure internal security. They emphasized that democratic countries need democratic policing. Pakistan has to invest more into police institution so it can meet the challenges and needs of policing in the 21st century. The conference was concluded by Inspector General of Police, Islamabad Muhammad Aamir Zulfiqar Khan.
He thanked the organizers by appreciating playing role in doing the research on community policing.
He also shared key steps taken by the ICTP for engaging community for citizen centric policing. A way forward to improve policing was shared that include demands to increase financial, human and technical resources of the police stations,Increase number of women in the police annually to bring it from the current approx 1.5 percent to 10 percent of total police strength and there must be at least 2 women police personnel at a police station in a shift, train police personnel on laws protecting rights of women, children, transgender, persons living with disabilities and minorities and take measures to promote positive image of the police.
