Gultaj Raja is the station house officer (SHO) or Taxila Police Station where for the past four months, he has not only been providing justice to the people in his precinct, but also leads the Friday prayers in nearby mosques.
SHO Gultaj Raja leads every Friday prayer in a different mosque, regardless of which sect it belongs to. He does not believe in any kind of discrimination. He says the only thing that matters to him is merit.
“It’s every Muslim’s right to sit on the mimbar-e-Rasool (pulpit),” he told DailyPakistan when asked why he leads the Friday prayers.
Following the example of the Rashidun Caliphs of Islam, Raja gives great importance to the mosque. He listens to people’s grievances in the mosque and whenever he has to make a difficult decision, he does that in the mosque too. The bearded police station chief respects those who follow religious practices.
If detainees ask for favours, those who pray five times a day get preference.
Similarly, any mistake by his subordinates can get forgiven if the perpetrator completes daily prayers.
“I do this not to please any superior or any political party, I do this to please God alone,” says the humble officer. “Complainants, especially those who have been wronged, have a direct connection to God. If you listen to them, God will listen to you,” is his message to all other SHOs in the country, especially those who do not listen to complainants and instead, scold or abuse them if they come directly to them.
In the 29 years that Raja has been in the police force, he has never accepted any bribe and has never been unjust. He says that if anyone of influence sends a case to him, he says he would deal it on merit and that is just what he does. Because of his honesty and just nature, he is very well loved in his community.
Whether someone comes to him backed by a person of influence, he favours only those who have been wronged, regardless of the backing, guilty people get no favours from this man of God.
He narrated the tale of a complainant who had come to him a month ago who had the backing of an influential person. He heard the person’s complaint in the mosque and told him that he had no evidence or witness to corroborate his story. The person admitted that he was the wrong-doer and not the victim. The just SHO then facilitated the two parties’ truce.
Everyone greets the law man with a smile and everyone is happy with him… except his children. In the four months that he has spent in his recent posting – Taxila – Raja has only been able to go home thrice. He acknowledges that his prime duty is to his family, but his job does not give him the luxury of going home more frequently.
Raja says his wife is a talented beautician as well as a sewing and embroidery teacher and earns almost as much as he does. She shares the same values as he does, is just as charitable, and supports him in his honesty and conviction to do good.
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