LAHORE: Chief Justice of Pakistan Gulzar Ahmad on Friday expressed concern at the gang rape on the motorway and lack of security on the highways.

He said policing in the country had been politicised and as a result, life and property of people were unsafe.

“Even innocent travellers on the highway meet serious crimes like the one we had two days back and it is shameful to note that neither any security system was placed on the motorway nor was there any safety mechanism,” regretted the CJP.

He was speaking at the closing ceremony of a training workshop for district commercial courts’ judges at the Punjab Judicial Academy.

CJP Ahmad pointed out that maintaining law and order was a prime function of the government and effective policing was indispensable.

He said the government needed to wake up and restore the credibility of the police by allowing its ranks to take initiative and decide the issues of the department themselves.

No amount of interference whatsoever should be done either by the government or by any political person in the police force, he added.

Referring to recent row over transfer of senior police officials in the Punjab, the chief justice said the developments were also a sign of deteriorating police system and level of political interference in the police department.

He lamented that the policing in the country seemed to be in the hands of unprofessional and inept persons, which had seriously eroded the law and order situation.

Published in Dawn, September 12th, 2020