Karachi: The Sindhi Cabinet approved the amendment to Article 26 of the Police Regulations of 1934 on the recommendation of the Chief of Police. The purpose was to prevent the police from making arrests just because of the registration of the First Information Report (FIR).
On Saturday, the amendment was approved at a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Sind Said Murad Ali Shah.
Provincial ministers, consultants, chief secretary, director of the Planning and Development Department and other relevant persons in charge attended the meeting.
The amendment means that police officers must collect credible evidence of the suspect’s involvement in the crime and obtain the approval of senior police officers before making any arrests.
Police officers told that pressure is exerted to arrest the nominees in an FIR and false cases are registered for the purpose.
“This amendment will guard against the arrest of innocent people and will also reduce the burden on the courts,” the police officials said.
They said that a court ruling also exists which states that an arrest need not be made in every case when an initial probe is underway.
With the amendment, even the police will not be able to abuse their powers, senior police officials said.
The senior officers said that currently, police “sections” are being formed, after which the rule will come into effect.
“A proposal has also been made to make some cases bailable,” they said.
The cabinet meeting also made other important decisions, including the transfer of four Karachi Municipal Corporation hospitals to the health department, the purchase of reflective license plates for vehicles, the reduction of cotton fees charged by the excise tax department, and a bill to protect medical staff.
