LAHORE: The audit report for 2023-24 of the Department of Interior of Punjab reveals the ‘disappearance’ of weapons and ammunition worth millions of the institutions that operate under the supervision of the department.
The report presented to the Punjab Assembly details the theft, the disappearance and non -recovery of the weapons of police stores in 12 districts. It is reported that the total value of the missing equipment exceeds RS245.5 million, none of which has been recovered to date.
According to the report, the weapons worth more than RS83.4M were “missing” from the office of Muzaffarh Dpo between 2021 and 2023; The arms and bullets valued in more than RS47.1M are not taken into account in the Dig Operations Lahore office; Weapons that are worth more than RS46.8m have not recovered in the Lahore Police Office.
In the same way, the rifles and ammunition that exceed the value of RS7.4M have disappeared from the Cpo Finen office; The registration of rifles issued to several officers in 2009 Missing in the central jail Lahore; Weapons and teams valued at RS5.614M in the DPO Sialkot office are missing; The arms are missing by RS4.3m in the office of Dpo Sahiwal; Weapons and teams higher than RS3.8m have disappeared from the Dpo Okara office.
Orders of orders of the start department; House is echoed with criticism of CCD, Gouonda Proposal Law
The arms are missing by RS3.5m in the DPO Gujrat office; Weapons and ammunition valued in more than RS2.6M have disappeared from the DPO Faisalabad office.
In response to the alarming findings, the Secretary of the Interior of Punjab, Noorul Amin Mengal, ordered an investigation into the missing weapons report.
An investigation committee has been formed, headed by the Special Branch of additional IG, with the Director General of Monitoring and Additional Judicial Secretary (start) as members, says a spokesman for the department.
The committee has had the task of submitting a report within 10 days. It will also require answers regarding the irregularities detailed in the audit report.
The Department of Origin clarifies that it does not directly store the weapons; Rather, the law enforcement agencies take them into account, which are responsible and responsible for the use of weapons. Measures will be taken against which they are responsible for receiving the consultation report, says the spokesman to quote the Secretary of the Interior.
Meanwhile, a general debate on the law and order in the Punjab Assembly saw strong criticism of the opposition leader Ahmad Khan Bhachaha with respect to the absence of officials of the Department of Origin of the Gallery.
“I am dismayed to see that no representative of the department was present.”
After the strong objections of Bhachaha, the panel of President Samiullah Khan expressed his disgust, emphasizing that the presence of senior officials of the Department of Origin is mandatory during the discussions on law and order. He announced that a disapproval letter would be sent to the Department of Origin with respect to his absence.
Despite its absence, the opposition chose not to boycott the session, promising to pronounce speeches that would cause “discomfort to the government.”
Bhache accused the government of failing completely to establish law and order in the province. He criticized the creation of a crime control department (CCD) that enhanced 4,000 people despite the existence of a 250,000 police force.
In contradicting the statements of the government of reduced crimes, he cited alarming statistics for LaHore: 324 incidents in one day and 370 in another. He also reported the high -hand cases of the Police, including the arrest of the MPA out of the Adiala prison, Firs continued against them and leaving them stranded after the launch. He labeled Punjab police as “wild beasts” that serve only the “elite class.”
Bhachaha condemned the “Gouonda Law” proposed by the Government, calling it a “black law” of the British era of the 1930s, designed to train the intelligence committees of the district and the officers to end up in the homes of people and expose them to sensitive agencies.
The opposition MPA Sheikh Imtiaz lamented that the presidents of the Permanent Committee would give a protocol to the police officers convened by the committee in different cases. He said that the students of the University of Punjab say that most of the ice in the university team was sold by police.
Ahsan Raza, another MPA of PTI, criticized the creation of CCD saying that it is a system parallel to the police and that leads to the clash with the police.
The treasure MPa Rana Arshad defended the creation of CCD as a step to improve people protection.
Malik Arshad, another PML-N MPA, sought the expansion of CCD to the entire province.
Junaid Sahi of the opposition said that CCD could only become a unit of the department of origin and not a complete department. Demanded the abolition of the Police Department of 250,000 people if 4,000 CCD officials could maintain order in the province.
The parliamentary secretary, Khalid Ranjha, wondered that the opposition cried Ronca on the issue of law and order and when a department like CCD is established to improve the situation, it is criticized before giving it time to show performance. He asked why the opposition feared that Goonda’s law will be introduced for them.
Posted in Dawn, May 28, 2025
