The Sindh Police (سنڌ پوليس) of Pakistan is a law enforcement agency formed in 1843 by a proclamation made by Sir Charles Napier, who conquered Sindh by defeating the Talpur kings’ army at the battle of Miani near Hyderabad on March 20, 1843. Since its establishment, the organization has been modeled after the Royal Irish Constabulary in order to preserve peace and order in Sindh, Pakistan.
The Sindh Police cover a total area of 140,914 km2 and has employed around 128,500 police officers and staff. The current Inspector-General, Mushtaq Ahmed Mahar, was appointed in March 2020.
Throughout its history, the Sindh Police has been fictionalized and dramatized in a number of films, novels, dramas and television shows.
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History
General Sir Charles Napier, after becoming Governor of Sindh in 1843, devised a policy structure based on the Royal Irish Constabulary’s model.
Officers from the British Indian Army deeply oversaw and regulated the force, which became more disciplined, efficient, and less corrupt as a result.
The East India Company’s Court of Directors, inspired by the success of Napier’s police, proposed that a common police system be developed following the model of the Irish Constabulary.
In 1860, the British Indian Government established a Police Commission led by Mr. H.M. Court.
“Though the tasks of the police should be totally civil, not military,” one of the policy orders to the Police Commission of 1860 stated, “the organization and discipline of the police should be comparable to that of a military organization.”
This Charter forms the foundation of Pakistan’s current police structure.
Muhammad Umar Khan, a well-known Superintendent of Police from Pirdad (Hazro) in Punjab during the British Indian Police’s reign, was highly decorated.
The government declared in October 2010 that Sindh Police had been given permission to employ and had obtained equipment to utilize phone-tracking technologies that help them combat abduction cases and corruption on the street of Karachi.
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Activities
Sindh Police has been aggressively involved in the fight against human trafficking, drug trafficking, and criminal offenses (such as murder and abduction).
Designations
Sindh Police has the following designations:
| Grade | Sindh Police Ranks | Abbreviations |
|---|---|---|
| BPS-05 | Constable | PC |
| BPS-07 | Head Constable | HC |
| BPS-09 | Assistant Sub-Inspector | ASI |
| BPS-14 | Sub-Inspector | SI |
| BPS-16 | Police Inspector | Inspector |
| BPS-17 | Assistant Superintendent of Police/Deputy Superintendent of Police | ASP/DSP |
| BPS-18 | Superintendent of Police | SP |
| BPS-19 | Senior Superintendent of Police/Assistant Inspector General | SSP/AIG |
| BPS-20 | Deputy Inspector General | DIG |
| BPS-21 | Additional Inspector General | Addl. IG |
| BPS-22 | Inspector General of Police | IGP |
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Posts
SHO, SDPO, DPO, CPO, RPO, and PPO are not ranks, but rather posts. As a result, a lower rank may act as a higher post for a period of time.
Special Security Unit
The Sindh Police’s Special Security Unit (SSU) is a specialized counter-terrorism and security unit. It conducts counter-terrorism operations and ensures the safety of significant individuals and institutions. It is a Karachi-based section of Pakistan’s Sindh Police, with operational jurisdiction over the whole province of Sindh.
The SSU was formed in response to the country’s growing security and counter-terrorism problems. It has been directed to cope with terrorist intimidation and meets international counterterrorism training standards. Mr. Lt (r) Maqsood Ahmed, the founding head of the unit, reports to IG Sindh and DIGP Security.
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Controversies
IG Sindh appointment
In consultation with the Governor of Sindh, the Pakistani government appointed Mushtaq Ahmed Mahar as Inspector General of Police, substituting Syed Kaleem Imam, who was removed at the request of Sindh’s provincial government due to his alleged insubordination and failure to control rising crime rates in Karachi.
Mazar-e-Quaid incident
On October 18, the Pakistan Democratic Movement held a big political protest in Karachi city near Mazar-e-Quaid. Former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said at the rally, addressing the Pakistani Army’s chief “General Qamar Javed Bajwa, you packed up our government, which was working well, and put the nation and the country at the altar of your wishes.”
On the government’s directives, this speech was suppressed when it was televised by Pakistani media. Sharif’s direct criticism of Bajwa, according to some news experts, was unlikely to be treated lightly.
That night, ISI and Pakistan Rangers officers allegedly kidnapped Inspector General Mahar and forced him to sign an order ordering the arrest of senior opposition leader Muhammad Safdar Awan, Sharif’s son-in-law, for “violating the sanctity of Quaid’s tomb” during the demonstration.
According to Al Jazeera, federal intelligence agencies became frustrated after failing to arrest Safdar immediately, so they dispatched nine paramilitary Ranger vehicles to Mahar’s house at 4 a.m. on October 19 to take him to a discussion with the sector commander, where they claimed that he authorizes Safdar’s arrest. The following day, Awan was released from custody.
To protest this conduct, Mahar and other top Sindh police officials asked for leave en masse, but they later surrendered after Pakistani army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa ordered an investigation into the event. Shibli Faraz, the Federal Minister of Information, described the Sindh police protest as a “quasi-mutiny.”
Former Inspector General of Police Akhtar Hassan Khan that the incidents were a sequence of mistakes. Safdar’s behavior at the tomb, he added, was unacceptable and may be regarded as a legal infraction, but not a cognizable one, which meant his detention should have been followed by a court warrant. He denounced Mahar’s kidnapping and intimidation.
While all claims of Mahar’s torture were unlikely to be genuine, such action on the part of federal intelligence personnel amounted to coercion, according to Al Jazeera. According to Mazhar Abbas of thenews.com.pk, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan dismissed the kidnapping and its aftermath as media hype and a non-issue, laughing at the occurrence.
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Impact and legacy
The challenges produced by such intra-institutional friction and the unprecedented police insurrection, according to Mazhar Abbas, are unlikely to be resolved fast. Three investigations were conducted: one by the chief of the armed forces, the other by a Sindh provincial government commission, and a third, restricted investigation by the federal government.
In Pakistan’s Supreme Court, the Civil Society filed a suit to prevent the federal government and its military forces from interfering with regional autonomy.
According to a study commissioned by Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa, Mahar was not abducted but “summoned overzealously” because the ISI and Pakistan Rangers were supposedly under a lot of public pressure.
The ISI and Ranger personnel involved in the event were suspended from any continuing tasks that would generate misconceptions with the Sindh Police, according to the findings of the same investigation.
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Weaponry
Sindh Police uses a wide range of weapons. However, these are only a shortlist of the most often used weapons.
- AK-47/Type 56
- Heckler & Koch G3
- Heckler & Koch MP5 (MP5K are often used)
- Beretta M92
- Glock pistols
- RPG-7
- Tear gas
- Riot shields
- Flak Jackets
Vehicles
Sindh Police use the following vehicles the most:
Toyota Hilux (REVO/Vigo variant), Toyota Corolla (2010-2018 version), Mohafiz Internal Security Vehicle, APCs, troop transporters and water cannons
The Sindh Police are not known to deploy aircraft; nonetheless, there have been rumors that they use locally built UAVs for surveillance, such as the SATUMA Jasoos.
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Citizens Police Liaison Committee (CPLC)
The Citizens Police Liaison Committee (CPLC) is a non-political statutory authority with a public-private connection that was created by the Sindh government through a notice. The CPLC assists victims of crime with relief and technical assistance. In 1989, Fakhruddin G. Ebrahim founded the Citizen Police Liaison Committee (CPLC), which operates in Karachi and facilitates residents in reporting a (FIR) if it is denied by police for any reason.
To attain its goals, the public takes the initiative as a volunteer and reports failed law and order situations to law enforcement organizations.
Structure of the organization
CPLC has six district offices in Karachi, one district office in Hyderabad, and has chosen to open a district office in Sukkur, with its headquarters office at the Governor House Sindh.
The IGP Sindh created a Police Core Group to foster cooperation between the police and the general public.
Ahmed Chinoy was the former chief of CPLC, and Zubair Habib has been selected as the current chief of CPLC.
CPLC has designated 1102 as its assistance line.
Makhdoom Ali Khan was a participant of the Advisory Board of the Citizens Police Liaison Committee (CPLC).
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