Introduction of Mr. Jameel Yusuf

Mr. Jameel Yusuf Ahmed, the Chief of CPLC (Citizens Police Liaison Committee), a very vital organization presently serving the Karachi citizens to solve their problems related to law & order. Having experience of serving in various Ministries & in different slots, he is presently also the member of a very important body i.e. Focal Group on Police Reforms & Advisory Board, Interior Division, Federal Ministry of Interior, Govt of Pakistan. By occupation he is an Industrialist and also the Chairman of All Pakistan Paper Cone Manufacturers Association.

He was honored with Presidential Award of “Sitara-e-Shujaat” & won nomination for the first United Nations Vienna Civil Society Award 1999. He has also served as the Director, Asia Crime Prevention Foundation in Japan. Recently we were honored with his appearance at KalPoint.com where we interviewed him as “Personality of the Week” for the interest & benefits of our Netizens. He also visited Kalsoft (Pvt) Ltd. and KalVault (Pvt) Ltd, the two prestigious projects of Kalia Group.


Interview with KalPoint


Kalpoint: Being an industrialist yourself, what are the problems here in Pakistan?

Jameel Yusuf: As a matter of fact, I haven’t gone and seen any factory for the last ten years. I am more involved in social work than making money. People are not willing to go on a mass volume, max output even though the manufacturing cost has become higher. Neighboring countries have given more incentives like SriLanka and UAE. India is a very big country. They have their own market, which is cheaper. We have expensive labor, high telephone cost and elections are also coming. Actually we are an agro-based country not an industrialist one. We also don’t have sufficient skilled manpower; I think these are the main reasons for not becoming too industrialized.


KalPoint: Do you think that the 9/11 event has further effected the industrialist group?

Jameel Yusuf: This issue might have an affect but I have talked to some Govt. & industrialist/ manufacturers and they said that it has not made an impact. Businessmen always like to cry and shout in order to get better incentives. It has not affected garments manufacturers. There was a time when you could run an industry without proper management but now good management is required. You would have simply collapsed if there would be no management. We are not catering to that thing especially in Karachi.


KalPoint: Why the crimes here in Pakistan are increasing day by day? Why is it so that no solid action is being taken to stop this increasing rate of crimes in the country?

Jameel Yusuf: No, I think the people have some very wrong perceptions. Crime takes place everywhere in the world. Crimes keep on increasing due to disparity of wealth and unemployment, as we talked, if you don’t expand industries, if you don’t create job opportunities, crime is going to rise. The basic requirement of a human being is health, education and a home. If that is not forthcoming then there are crimes, that is one part of it. Let us compare, as you said, that why it is not being combated then yes we do have a very bad criminal justice system. If we improve our justice system, then we would be best country in the world with the lowest crime rate. Even today here in Karachi which is a Cosmopolitan and the 9th largest city of the world. It is bigger than 54 countries of the world and if we compare the crime graph with Washington, crimes here are just peanuts. We have a bad information system. We do not have good public relation officers. We do not have even an information minister in the first place, this how we treat our country. India is so strong in IT & media projection that small things are projected and floated high. But what we do, we try to put a lid on every thing. If we can sort out this problem the people may become police friendly and vice versa. Our problem will be solved, because that is a problem not a crime. People should take security measures on their own. There are so many security services available nowadays, people should avail them. I tell the people whom I meet that they must have adequate security measures. I would maintain that still we have a very low crime rate. The problem lies in the fact that the people are not self-protective which they should be.


KalPoint: Don’t you think we Pakistanis have created this impression?

Jameel Yusuf: Yes, we love to criticize our country. It has become a hobby for us. We need to realize the fact that we should protect ourselves and take security measures. Infact we should make it a part of our system like the Indians have done. But unfortunately we love to criticize. We have to change our attitude. This is the sad part of the story but the good part is that we have comparatively a low crime rate. People like Sattar Edhi, CPLC, Citizens Foundation School, Eye Hospitals, Community Centers, which are serving the citizens at low costs, are all a great part of our society. In figures, Pakistan is on top in the world. This is not there in any country. This is the rich thing that we have but yet we do not project it.


KalPoint: It is surprising about crime rate in Pakistan. Don’t you think that crimes happening are not reported through FIRs?

Jameel Yusuf: As matter of fact, yes! Accurate reporting is not being done. Only two crimes, i.e. murder and car theft, are reported cent percent due to some obvious reasons. They never go unreported throughout the world but I am only comparing these two crimes. Now come to house burglary in America. Yes, they are reported because everybody is insured over there. Unfortunately, we do not have an insurance culture. The well-to-do people can buy an expensive property, keep valuables and jewelry worth high value, but they don’t go for insurance, which should be a part of their expenses. We have to make people aware of the importance of insurance over here in our country. If they are buying property, keeping valuables, they should also go for getting things secured & insured to avoid any worse cir*****stances. They have to be educated because, actually there is an education problem, which is very sad. The people have to be made aware and educated that how they can protect themselves. I would prefer not to keep security guards but get insured. You will be safe and keep your valuables in lockers


KalPoint: How does the CPLC work? What is the tracking/vigilance system?

Jameel Yusuf: CPLC is a voluntary organization. We are not supposed to catch everybody. If 30 businessmen can catch everybody, then the police would be sacked and we would be given the contract (laughingly). We go for tracking specialized crimes and data managements. We have the most modern data management system. We have satellite images of Karachi & the entire layout on our computers, and we have every critical point available for Karachi. Everyone is there on our database. We have a technology called Crime Analysis System; we enter the mind of the criminal. We are very high as far as combating crimes is concerned. We have two conference rooms. When a case is reported, we plan it on the table and go for combating it. We can apprehend a crime in 45 seconds and you can imagine our expertise. Our success rate is 100 %. Nowadays it has dropped down to 50 % due to satellite phones and things like that. We are in fact giving the police our technological support as well. Our vision is different we are supposed to be much higher rated in knowledge, intelligence and all that which unfortunately, the police is not because they are not well-trained. This is the support that we are giving for which we are working 24 hours. We are a social organization & a Govt. statutory body. We are empowered, we have dedicated telephone lines which are open 24 hours but we want people call 15 first that is the police. We always say be free to call us if further assistance is required but people call us first sometimes and we respond them but we never try to over lap the responsibilities of the police. However, if a case is reported to us, we take quick action and there are so many instances in which we have caught the culprits & filed them to the courts for further action to be taken according to the law. There is no influence that can influence us. Nothing MashAllah stops us and that’s why we have survived. Our expenditure of Rs 7-8 million is just nothing compared to the amount of work that we do. How this money comes, we never know, I have never asked anybody to give us donations. It is all that the people give in one-way or the other that we never come to know exactly and that is mainly the beauty that the people trust us a lot.


Kalpoint: Why has CPLC not been expanded all over Pakistan? Why is it only working in Karachi?

Jameel Yusuf: Now the United Nations wants to adopt CPLC as well. I have gone to India, they are also interested. They want to establish it in SriLanka. I will be invited by the President of Bangladesh soon as they also want to establish it. People are doing Ph.d’s in this subject. I receive internees from London who were sent to study and prepare a writeup that what is CPLC and how they can adopt it. I was sent an email, requesting to assist one other internee in the research work. Why is it not being done in Pakistan? So I would say that I think they have made one good mistake and they don’t want to repeat it again. The bureaucrats don’t like to be questioned. They don’t want things to be transparent and crystal clear. With us, nothing hides, we don’t come under pressure of what so ever kind. We give justice to all & at all levels. We need to amend the laws. My theory is to change the laws and give justice to everyone. It should not be continued to specific sections of the society. Justice should be for everyone.


Kalpoint: Are we making use of Car Trackers In our country?

Jameel Yusuf: Yes, the people are going for it. But the rate of usage is not very high. It is an anti kidnapping device. It is very helpful as the tracking becomes so easy as soon as the car comes in visionary contact and the recovery becomes too easy and takes a very short time. But again the people are not using the technologies. They can afford to keep expensive cars but can’t afford to put a tracker on it. Its simply should not be the case. If you are keeping an expensive car, you should also pay some money to secure and protect it because it doesn’t pay you to get yourself protected. Again there stands the awareness problem. The people need to be educated. If you have something and you need to be protected then you have to take the steps.

KalPoint: Does CPLC has it’s own website? What KalPoint can do for CPLC to create awareness about crimes?

Jameel Yusuf: Yes, we do have a website but we can jointly work along as well for the sake of creating awareness among the people. Like we can put incidents that had taken place. Also we can put in the frames of crimes, we can offer them the safety measures that they can take to safeguard themselves. We have very classified data, which we can share with you like which cars are being most stolen, which colors are mostly being stolen etc etc. There are so many interesting facts and tips, which together we can share and put on Kalpoint.com so that the people may get well aware about them especially the netizens.


KalPoint: Sir, talking to you was really informative, it was really a matter of immense pleasure talking and listening to you, thank you very much. C U On Net.

Jameel Yusuf: Same here, C U On Net 2.

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