CHITRAL: District Police Officer (DPO) Lower Chitral Iftikhar Shah on Sunday ordered an inquiry into a social media complaint by a citizen against a police official.
A statement issued by the police said that the DPO \”has taken notice of a citizen’s complaint shared on social media and ordered an inquiry against the SDPO Circle Drosh.\”
The complaint involves an alleged verbal altercation with Rehmat Wali, a resident of Khuz, Mastuj, within the jurisdiction of Police Station Koghazi.
DPO Iftikhar Shah claimed that the Lower Chitral Police is a “people’s police” and made it clear that any form of harsh language or misconduct towards citizens will not be tolerated.
Complaint against the DSP
A day earlier, Rehmat Wali, a Karachi-based social worker from Khuz village of Upper Chitral, complained on Facebook that while traveling from Chitral town to his home, he encountered a police vehicle on a narrow road within the jurisdiction of Police Station Koghuzi. The limited space made it difficult to reverse his his vehicle quickly to give way to the vehicle of the policeman, resulting in a short delay that was entirely due to the road conditions.
\”Unfortunately, this minor delay appeared to offend SDPO Iqbal Karim, who responded with undue anger and verbal aggression. He ordered his subordinates to seize my vehicle and take it to the police station. My vehicle was held for approximately half an hour, during which I had no option but to wait until I was able to secure its release through personal contacts.
\”I want to acknowledge that some of the police personnel on the ground tried to act with courtesy, but they seemed powerless in the face of their superior’s ego and arbitrary orders.\”
He added, \”This incident raises an important question: Is the police force meant to serve and protect citizens or to harass them? How long will ordinary people be forced to endure the burden of VIP culture and unchecked authority?\”
He urged the senior police leadership and provincial government to take immediate notice of this incident and hold the responsible officer accountable.
Without such action, the government’s motto of “First Salute, Then Dialogue” will remain nothing more than an empty slogan.