ISLAMABAd: Parliamentarians blame the police for the flawed system of registration of FIRs and claim no legislation can counter the misreporting and misuse of the existing system until the corrupt practices in the police department are stopped.
Besides police officials, Supreme Court judges, prominent lawyers and legal experts, parliamentarians also believe that the FIR registration system needs to be reformed, but it is possible only by enforcing a vigorous system of accountability in the police department.
The panel of parliamentarians believes that there is the need for legislation for a vigorous overhauling of the system.
However, until the corrupt police officials are not held accountable for their corrupt practices, neither will work any fresh law nor the existing law will be effected.
They believe the police officials even ignore the basic principles of investigation while working on a case, and they do it deliberately to mint money from both parties - the complainant and accused.
A majority of the parliamentarians believe that the existing law is the best to counter and reduce crime as well as providing justice to those who are seeking justice.
They believe that until serious reforms are not introduced in the police, no other institution could help to improve this system. Hence it should be started from the police department and if needed parliament could legislate in this regard.
Chairman of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Law and Justice, Chaudhry Mehmood Bashir Virk, claims that in Pakistan almost 70 to 80 percent of people misreport in murder cases, and the police know this fact but even then register FIRs just to grab money from both the complainant and accused.“The police know that up to 70 to 80 percent people misreport in their FIRs, but it is the responsibility of the police to register the FIR.
However, during the investigation process, the police can drop the names of innocent people, but it does not drop them just to keep minting money from them. No reforms would be effective in this society until the overall attitude of our society is not changed,” Virk believes.
He said the law itself is perfect and if it is implemented in letter and spirit and without taking the side of any party, then the whole society would feel the change. He said there is also a need to improve the level of competence in the lower judiciary.
“I believe if the police are involved in corruption, then the judiciary could undo this injustice with the person who is innocent. But it is only possible when the judges at the district level are competent enough,” commented Virk.
IANS
