Kabul residents: All security personnel should wear uniform

KABUL (Pajhwok): A number of residents of Kabul say some security personnel carrying weapons sill move in the city without uniform, but police say they are “mujahideen” who come from provinces to Kabul for registration in the system.

Rahimullah, a resident of Bagrami district of Kabul, said in early days of the Islamic Emirate’s return to power, about 90 percent of security forces had no uniform, but currently most of them were equipped with uniforms and were gradually making progress.

In addition to stressing that all security personnel must be equipped with uniforms, he said: “We can better know a security officer wearing a proper uniform that he is a mujahid. But we cannot recognize those carrying weapons without wearing a proper uniform.”

Nabiullah, another Kabul resident, said: “Our demand is that every security officer must wear uniform, we often ignore security personnel in plain clothes, it sometimes led to misunderstanding.”

Analysts: uniform necessary for better security, order

Mohammad Sadiq Shinwari, a military affairs expert, said security forces equipped with special uniform and professional training showed order and discipline in society.

According to him, citizens feel secure when they see security personnel in uniform and this can prevent illegal gunmen and reduce crimes.

Shinwari also said the Ministry of Interior should inform the people that security personnel in uniform doing searches were government personnel and if anyone was stopped by individuals without uniform, they were irresponsible gunmen and the security institutions should be informed about them.

Mohammad Yousaf Amin Zazai, another military affairs’ analyst, said wearing uniform actually meant obeying the law and could help the people differentiate between security personnel and irresponsible individuals.

He said uniform had a positive role in stability of society and opportunists took advantage if security forces lacked uniform.

Aziz Stanikzai, another military affairs’ expert, said uniform was necessary for security personnel and people should also know the uniforms of all security organs so they could differentiate between security forces and irresponsible individuals.

Zadran: Equipping all security personnel a priority

Kabul police spokesman Khalid Zadran said uniform was considered important for order and discipline and identification of personnel of different security organs.

He said the Islamic Emirate was giving priority to this matter and special uniforms had been distributed to all the police in Kabul.

Responding to a query if some security forces have not received uniform in Kabul, he replied: “One thing I have to say is that for now every policeman is given a single uniform, so it needs to be washed or they don’t wear for some reasons in official occasions.”

He added: “We have a follow-up team at the Kabul police headquarters, a person who does not wear uniform in official time, he will be introduced to the police headquarters or relevant station and will be asked for it.”

The IEA ununiformed military personnel who had not been registered at any government institution are stopped at a check point in Kabul, questioned asked for weapon registration card.

When asked that is there any state security organization in Kabul that had not received uniform for its personnel, Zadran said: “According to my information all official security institutions had been sent their uniforms, intelligence personnel also have a special uniform, our interior ministry personnel also have a specific uniform. I don’t’ have enough information about defence ministry but I think they use the previous uniform at this stage.”

When asked about some armed personnel not clad in the uniform but walk through Kabul streets and roads, he said: “There are official employees of the MoI such as police, our officers who received uniform and they are bound to be clad in the uniform in official time. In addition, there are some of our Mujahideen who are still unregistered and they can serve the people after their registration. Some Mujahidin from villages come here for their work and they have permission to carry weapon from their local commanders but these individuals have no right to interfere in any matter on their own. They carry weapon for their own security, these unregistered Mujahideen will be registered in specific government institutions and they will avail the uniform of that specific organization.”

He added in the future certain rules will be introduced regarding the possession of weapon and its time and how many security persons would be required for a senior officials.

When asked that some people clad in uniform may commit a crime introducing them as security personnel, he said that security forces during operation are clad in uniform and all security institutions coordinate through the Coordination Commission.

He said people should information police station through police station’s number or by dialing 100.

Zadran added: “At least 30 personnel are available for 100 call. They convey the message to the closest personnel to the area in a proper manner and they take action. They check the intruders, if there are senior are not informed then these individuals are caught by security personnel and sent to police station, later investigation is conducted to identify if they are criminals or not.”

Referring to the distribution of uniform to all security personnel he said when all Mujahidin are registered and the registration process is over then the uniform issue will be also resolved.

“We hope and efforts are underway to resolve the registration issue in the short time, initially the uniform issue was very simple to us believing that in one day the uniform will be ready and the next day it will be distributed, it was the demand of public as well but there was conflict over the past 40 years. System is like an injured person whose wounds will take time to repair.”

It is pertinent to mention that the uniform distribution process is ongoing in capital Kabul and some provinces.

sa/nh/ma