Police Organisations in Pakistan - Commonwealth Human Rights ...

ForewordThe police in this country represent what is both good and bad about Pakistan.In terms of ideals, the police are charged with the noble and importantundertaking of ensuring public safety and maintaining law and order. However,in terms of performance, Transparency International has ranked the police asthe most corrupt institution in Pakistan in three consecutive surveys.Regardless of what one personally feels about the police, the fact is that theaverage citizen knows very little about this incredibly important and influentialstate actor. It is for this reason that the Human Rights Commission of Pakistanand the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative have come together to offer areport on police organisations in Pakistan. The purpose of this publication istwofold: first, to serve as a resource for people to better understand the rolesand responsibilities of the police and secondly, to offer practical benefit for peoplein their interactions with the police. As an example, we have includedphotographs of police badges so that people are able to identify the rank ofofficers they may come into contact with.This report is not meant to proffer policy recommendations on how the policein Pakistan can improve their performance. That subject is covered in an earlierCHRI report, Feudal Forces: Reform Delayed Moving from Force to Service inSouth Asian Policing (2008). By attempting to beam a light on an area ofgovernance that is usually opaque this report seeks to demystify an institutionthat more often than not inspires fear instead of confidence.Sincerely,I. A. RehmanSecretary General, Human Rights Commission of PakistanMaja DaruwalaDirector, Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative7