POLICING THE POLICE: A DEMOCRATIC EXIGUITY IN PAKISTAN

Abstract

Proficient policing mirrors democratic governance through the role played by citizens in their policing. The public participation in their policing plans contributes towards the transparency as well as autonomy of the police. It is a fundamental societal obligation towards the marginalized communities who are the most affected by police misconduct. This paper explores the policing regime in Pakistan, adopting the theoretical framework of Kempe Hope for police oversight. It reviews police reform initiatives by various governments in Pakistan from the democratic perspective. It discovers that public role in policing has remained insignificant and the implementation of policies of democratic oversight disregarded. The paper concludes that the police preserves colonial structure and remains unresponsive to the societal needs. The ingress of democracy in policing continues to be exiguous in Pakistan. Some policy recommendations are provided for an operationally autonomous and popularly accountable police.