There is a debate going on among the common public on the chief ministers of both Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).
This discussion is about: Is the Punjab Chief Minister’s appearance in police uniform a more serious act compared to an elected CM’s statement to attack and capture Islamabad, the federal capital?
Besides being the talk of the town, is this debate not more concerned about the political maturity of the opposition? Yesterday the Punjab CM Maryam Nawaz appeared in a police uniform when she was to address a passing-out ceremony for women constables and traffic assistants at Police Training College Chung.
The CM addressing the police women graduates expressed that after wearing the police uniform for the first time, she realized that being a police officer or being sworn in as a CM was a very responsible job.
She continued by saying that the chief minister’s office takes decisions while the police get them implemented. Right after the CM’s appearance in police uniform, a top trend on social media was found in this regard. Some praising and some passing indecent remarks about the historically first woman chief minister.
The opposition leader Omar Ayub Khan strongly objected to this act of the CM and termed it a Joke with the nation and a violation of the law. A member of the Lahore Bar filed a petition in sessions court Lahore seeking an order for the registration of a criminal case against the CM. He revealed that earlier he went to a police station to register his case against Ms. Maryam, but the police refused to register his case. The Petitioner Aftab Bajwa maintained in his petition that no one can wear the official uniform of the law-enforcing agencies under the law of the land and requested the court to direct the police to register his case. The court immediately fixing this petition has also sought a reply from the police by the 29th of April.
Meanwhile, the Police in this regard have stated that the CM is entitled to wear the police uniform. As per the amended Police Dress Regulations, a CM could wear a police uniform on occasions like reviewing parades, addressing police meetings, and visiting police establishments or occasions as specified. The police also stated that this was not something to deceive rather it was to encourage the police. “This has been widely celebrated by the police personnel, who view it as a commendable show of solidarity.” The police said it has received a lot of messages from police personnel lauding this step.
Has the chief minister violated any law by wearing the police uniform when there has been a practice of nominating public personalities like cricketers and even children as goodwill ambassadors of the police? A former head of the police disclosed that a DPO is legally authorized to declare anyone a special police officer. One can get clear from it that wearing a police uniform can only be prosecuted if is done to deceive. Do we not see characters in pictures and plays wearing police uniforms? Has any legal practitioner before reached a police station for a criminal case against them? If not then why against a CM? Whatever is being done on this matter highlights our political maturity, attitude, intentions, and priorities. It explains what society we are where earlier a petition was filed in a high court to stop women marching in Islamabad demanding their constitutional rights. The opposition leader and his fellows such as Yasmin Rashid, Moonis Elahi, and Shahbaz Gill are criticizing it the way they can but are ignoring the statement of their party’s elected chief minister in the KP. Ali Amin Gandapur for the second time threatened to capture the federal capital. Earlier, he pledged to siege Islamabad when two separate FIRs against Imran Khan and Gandapur were registered for using abusive and threatening language against the army and state institutions. The FIR against Gandapur was registered under terrorism and rabble-rousing charges. It was the time when he warned the PDM government to capture Islamabad. He also threatened the police that if the police created hurdles for PTI then it would not be treated like police.
Now again he threats to capture Islamabad alleging the federal government as fake and when PTI is to protest against the alleged rigging in bi-elections and seeking release of its jailed party leadership. Earlier, PTI headed toward Islamabad when Mr. Pervaiz Khattak was KP’s CM. That time former Chief Justice Umar Atta Bandial facilitated this party to gather in Islamabad in response what they did is not concealed. Now in this context it me viewed that which act is more serious: Threatening to capture Islamabad or wearing police uniform? The public is also questioning the political maturity of the opposition. It is being questioned in the context that supported to a dictator, maligned top command of the Army, victimized opponents, attacked judicial complex, recently a letter to the global money lender, has been taking u turn now finally when it retrieved from Afzal Marwat’s nomination as Chairman of the PAC.
(Senior journalist Rana Kashif has authored this article)
