Anti-Corruption Establishment crackdown paralyses Lahore police investigation system
LAHORE: The Lahore Police’s investigation system has slowed down by almost 50pc as investigating officers (IOs) have virtually stopped working since the Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) started raids to arrest corrupt officers, exposing heavy dependence of police system on bribe paid by both the complainants as well as the accused in criminal cases. A major contributing factor is the…
LAHORE: The investigation system of the Lahore Police has slowed down by nearly 50% as officers have largely stopped working since the Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) initiated raids to apprehend corrupt officers. A key reason for this slowdown is the police's heavy reliance on bribes paid by complainants and accused parties in criminal cases.
In most situations, investigators allegedly receive bribes for "fuel for their official vehicles" used during investigations. Moreover, prosecution staff often provide weak excuses to investigators, citing the non-functional Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB) system. A senior official stated that the issue presents a challenge for the Lahore police investigation wing, and this matter has been discussed in recent high command meetings with no successful outcomes.
The investigation officers are heavily burdened with 165,000 cases registered across all 84 police stations since January 2026, with almost all remaining pending. On average, 280,000 cases are registered annually in Lahore, but the Punjab government provides only Rs40 million under the investigation head, which is insufficient compared to the actual operational requirement.
In 2022, the then DIG Investigation Lahore demanded Rs867 million but received only Rs56 million, leaving a shortfall of Rs811 million. To make matters worse, the expenses for investigation into a murder case range from Rs50,000 to Rs100,000, depending on the case's sensitivity. High-profile cases require even more funding, with then Punjab Police chief Dr Usman Anwar obtaining Rs7 million for sensitive cases involving leaders of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and the Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP).
Despite the significant budgetary needs, allocations have historically been far below targets, forcing individual investigators to bear the costs. Consequently, most investigators have ceased their work, stating that investigation costs are not being reimbursed. Prosecutors also demand bribes to clear objections on police reports, ranging from Rs5,000 to Rs50,000 per case.
DIG Investigation Zeeshan Raza confirmed the investigation officials' serious issues and requested the Punjab government to increase the budget for the cost of investigation.
Written by urgent.news from Dawn - Pakistan's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
