LAHORE: Aiming for a 50-50 ratio of men and women in the police force, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif caused quite a stir on Thursday when she arrived at a passing-out ceremony for women constables and traffic assistants decked out in a Punjab police uniform.

Addressing the graduating class at Police Training College Chung, the chief minister said she envisioned a time when women would constitute half the police force, adding that she had directed the Punjab inspector general to increase the number of women police officers, who currently number around 7,000.

She expressed satisfaction that the training of women police constables had been conducted in line with best international practices and modern requirements, and told the graduating policewomen to always “take care of the oppressed and dispense justice”.

“After wearing the police uniform for the first time, I have realised that being a police officer or being sworn in as a CM is a very responsible job. In the chief minister’s office, we take decisions and you get them implemented,” she mused.

Opposition criticises move; Punjab police say rules allow chief ministers to don uniform for formal occasions

But the chief minister’s decision to attend the ceremony in full police regalia rubbed many the wrong way, especially the opposition PTI.

Opposition leader in National Assembly Omar Ayub, Yasmin Rashid, Moonis Elahi and Shahbaz Gill all criticised CM Maryam’s decision to don a police uniform.

The issue also remained among the top trends on social media, with many users questioning the logic behind the move.

However, others recalled that her father, Nawaz Sharif, had also made a similar gesture in the past when he was at the helm of affairs in the province.

A Lahore-based lawyer even went to the trouble of filing a petition before a sessions court, seeking the registration of a case against the Punjab chief minister for ‘impersonating’ a police officer.

But in the face of the criticism, both the PML-N and Punjab police defended CM Maryam’s actions.

“In the whole world, the head of the states can wear the uniform of their forces to enhance their respect. Nawaz Sharif did the same when he was in power and CM Maryam has followed him,” Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari said in a statement.

Ms Bokhari said that by donning the police uniform, the chief minister had, in fact, increased the res­p­ect of the Punjab police, and advised her detractors not to be jealous.

In a statement on X (formerly Twitter), the Punjab police shared a copy of the relevant rules that govern how governors and chief ministers can dress on formal occasions.

As per the amended Punjab Police Dress Regulations, “chief minister may wear uniform on formal occasions like review of parades, while addressing police darbars, visiting police establishments or any such occasion as specified, for encouraging the police personnel and troops.”

“This has been widely celebrated by the police personnel, who view it as a commendable show of solidarity. The Central Police Office has received hundreds of messages in which police personnel have lauded this step. Female police officers are celebrating the event and have shared various pictures of Madam CM Punjab in uniform,” the police department tweeted.

Talking to Dawn, a former inspector general of police also said that the chief minister had not committed any violation of the law by donning the police uniform.

“There has been a practice of nominating someone like cricketers, children etc as goodwill ambassadors of police, and that person also wears the uniform. Similarly, a DPO is authorised to declare anyone a special police officer,” he said, adding that only someone was liable for prosecution only if they put on a police uniform with the intention to deceive or defraud.

Published in Dawn, April 26th, 2024