ISLAMABAD: The so-called experts of police reforms in the interior ministry and the National Reconstruction Bureau (NRB) stand exposed when the government constituted a faulty selection body and went ahead with it until it was pointed out that the whole exercise was illegal.

Those assigned to implement the Police Order 2002 seemed to have not read the contents of the law as they did not notice for months that a selection committee constituted under the Chief Justice of Pakistan was in contravention to the provisions of the new police law.

This blunder on part of the so-called experts not only embarrassed the government but also the Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Sheikh Riaz Ahmed, Chairman Federal Public Service Commission, and the Interior Minister Faisal Saleh Hayat.

Article 89 of the Police Order 2002 envisages the constitution of a "Selection Panel" that would select independent members of the National Public Safety Commission. It says; "There shall be a Selection Panel for independent members consisting of Chief Justice of Supreme Court of Pakistan who shall be its Chairperson and one nominee each of President and Prime Minister: Provided that such nominee shall not be elected representative or public servant."

Despite this clear proviso, the Musharraf government had appointed the then Interior Minister and Chairman Federal Public Service Commission, a public servant, as the two members of the Selection Panel under the Chief Justice of Pakistan.

An advertisement was given during the same tenure to seek applications from among the public who were desirous of becoming member of the National Public Safety Commission. Later the elected government came into power and the then Interior Minister was replaced by the present Interior Minister, who is an elected representative, as member of the Selection Panel.

Though both the Interior Minister and Chairman FPSC could not become member of the Selection Panel as per the proviso of Article 89, the selection process for the appointment of independent members of the National Public Safety Commission continued.

The concerned department of the interior ministry received almost 600 applications. Short-listed candidates were interviewed by the faulty Selection Panel, which though did not select any candidate as no one could meet its expectations.

A few months back the interior ministry re-advertised the selection of independent members while the constitution of the Selection Panel was the same.

It was only at this stage that the NRB was reportedly awaken by a caller to go through Article 89 of the Police Order 2002. It immediately contacted the Interior Ministry to pass on the same shock to it. The ministry immediately halted the process and decided to approach the president and the prime minister to get their nominees appointed for the Selection Panel. This time, however, both the president and the prime minister were being told not to nominate an elected representative or public servant. It could not be confirmed if the apologies were offered to Chief Justice of Pakistan and the Chairman FPSC for the inconvenience and the embarrassment caused to them by this howler.