4th August, marked the sixth annual celebration of Youm-e-Shuhada (Martyrs Day) by Pakistan Police. Federal Police held a candlelight vigil for the fallen heroes in D-Chowk, Islamabad. However, media coverage and subsequently the public participation across the country was not as much as the event calls for.
It is high time that the ways in which police is regarded and treated within media were revised. You cannot curse someone and expect loyalty and integrity in return. Like every institution, there are, no doubt, black sheeps in police as well, such as the one who exposed himself to a woman in Lahore a few days ago while arresting her.
More often than not, Pakistan Police is discussed in terms of its problems and their causes such as corruption, lack of resources and personnel, inadequate training etc. Yet, an important factor is that a cop is not considered a “martyr” even if they loses life on duty. It attributes to low morale of the existing police force and also keeps many competent people from joining it.
Take any Pakistani media outlet and check out their headlines and news tickers regarding the death of a cop. It always reads ‘killed’ or ‘shot dead’ in English and ‘جاں بحق’ or ‘قتل’ in Urdu. Seldom do we see description of a cop losing life as being ‘martyred’ or ‘شہید’.
Not only it comes out as utter disregard of the police’s sacrifices for the country but also, causes the further deterioration of the institution. The public ownership and trust on the institution dwindles.
A certain faction in Pakistan is so fond of moaning about the budget share of the military aka ‘army’. Try asking the question as ‘what good army is for?’ from the ones who have lost a son, brother, husband, father or sometimes multiple members of the family for being part of Pakistan military and you’ll get your answer. Same is for those who have nothing positives to say about Pakistan Police. Get to know a family who have lost their family member for being a cop. Get to know those families and you will find what loss and devastation they bear just because their dear ones opted to expose themselves to danger for the sake of Pakistan. Some may say it is their duty; this is what they are paid for. For those, is it suffice to say, we all do our jobs/businesses because we are paid for it or get profits in return but very few have the courage to deliberately risk their lives.
Evolving Role of Police
With changing times, the role of police force has become crucial in the stability and prosperity of the nation by maintaining law and order. National Security and Anti-Terrorism Information published a paper titled Pakistan’s National Security: Hybrid Warfare Challenges & Countermeasures which propounds that the country is facing the sub-conventional conflicts, including hybrid warfare or non-linear threats and police is the leading force among the civilian armed forces to combat it. National security observers believe that Police force instead of military force is a useful tool to manage and resolve the sub-conventional conflicts
This summer, the world witnessed the unfolding of the failed plot of abduction of Afghan ambassador’s daughter in Islamabad, recent wave of attacks on Chinese nationals, and bombing of Lahore police station. It proves that police is on the forefront of these non-linear threats. A study titled: How Terrorist Groups End, postulates that efficient Police with the support of intelligence agencies rather than military force delivers better counterterrorism results. We saw its practical manifestation in the investigation report of Lahore blast that occurred on June 23rd. Within two weeks of the blast, the police, with the help of intelligence agencies, was able to unfurl the complete plot of the blast along with its script, actors (Eid Gul, Peter Paul and Zia Ullah), directors, producer (India) and even the detailed activity chart of the actors before and after the blast.
Media plays an undeniable role in shaping public opinion. Therefore, it must play its part positively and pay due regard to the institution and its members who sacrifice their lives in the line of fire.
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