Islamabad: Expressing concern over “poor state of investigation”, Pakistan Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf on Thursday sought greater intelligence sharing between enforcement agencies and noted that those accused of crimes and terrorism were getting off in courts due to shoddy probe.
“The poor state of investigation is a matter of serious concern. Those accused of crimes are not convicted by the courts due to poor investigation and lack of evidence,” the premier said while addressing a passing-out ceremony for young officers at the National Police Academy.
“We cannot allow criminals and terrorists to get away, due to lack or failure to gather evidence admissible in a court of law,” he said.
Ashraf said the country’s law enforcement agencies will have to “increase intelligence-sharing and coordination among themselves to combat terrorism”. Ashraf warned that terrorism “threatens the very fabric of our society, life and security of our people” and its nexus with crime makes the task of the police force even more challenging.
“This calls for a proactive role by the police to rise to the occasion and nip this evil in the bud,” he said. The premier asked law enforcement personnel to adopt a holistic approach to combat terrorism. Police should maintain a close relationship with the local community as such interaction will provide information about anti-national and anti-social elements and deny criminals refuge, he said.
“This is only possible if they are not feared but respected,” Ashraf said. He also called for an end to the “dreaded thana culture”, which has cast a “dark shadow” on police performance. Thousands of people have died in terror attacks across the country since the Pakistan Peoples Party-led government came to power in 2008. (PTI)
