ISLAMABAD, MAY 14 (DNA) – The Islamabad High Court resumed hearing on Thursday a case on the policing system and expressed its displeasure at the federal government’s failure to reform it.

An additional IG told the court that an investigating officer receives a Rs350 allowance to investigate a case.

“By giving the officer Rs350, the system is telling the IO to become corrupt,” said Chief Justice. “This is a grave injustice, our priorities are all wrong.”

VIPs have been using the police for their own duties and nothing is being done to solve the pending cases, the judge remarked. “If a person spends 10 years in jail on a wrongful conviction, then who’s at fault?”

The court has given the federal two weeks to submit its reply, stressing that it would be better if the reply is submitted in one week.

A report submitted by the Islamabad IG revealed the main hurdles in case investigation after which the court took up the case.

The IG said that the investigating officers have to pay Rs5,000 per parcel while sending evidence to a forensic laboratory. There is no forensic laboratory in Islamabad because of which these labs at times take two months to respond.

The officer is required to pay the fee on his own. The IG suggested that the parcel fee be removed or the district administration pay it, adding that IOs should also be allowed to send the evidence on their own without seeking the approval of higher authorities.

Many policemen are posted on special duties because of which they aren’t able to do their routine work.

Special duties is one reason why policemen are unable to appear in trial courts. Other reasons for the delay in trails include security situation and strikes of lawyers, the Islamabad police chief said in the report.=DNA

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