Punjab police deployed for PTI march complain of poor food and fatigue

Punjab police personnel deployed in the Rawalpindi division to stop the PTI’s march say they face poor food, exhaustion and difficult living conditions, and their concerns grew on Sunday over reports that thousands of them could be sent on to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Reports suggested that 25,000 of the 40,000 personnel deployed would be moved from Attock to KP after the emergency and governor’s rule there, Dawn reported. The province’s police chief said no decision had been taken.

Complaints from the field

A Punjab police officer said the personnel, worn down by fatigue, lack of sleep and poor conditions, saw a possible move to KP as a new challenge.

• Food: videos recorded by personnel and shared on social media showed food they said was stale or foul-smelling, some with insects in it
• Facilities: most complaints related to poor catering and washroom facilities, particularly in Attock district
• Officers’ support: some senior officers came out in support of their force
• Command friction: some senior officers who came from other regions to lead their forces held the Rawalpindi police administration responsible, a senior officer said, while the local administration called the videos “a conspiracy by some individual employees”

Five deaths on duty

Punjab Inspector General of Police Abdul Kareem confirmed that five personnel had died during the two-week deployment at Attock and Wah Cantt. He named them as constables Zulfiqar Ahmed, Zain Ali, Muhammad Imran, Muhammad Shahzad and Usman Idrees.

“Two of them were martyred due to heart attack while one of them, Zain Ali, accidentally drowned after slipping into Ghazi Canal. The two other police personnel died in the line of duty due to severe medical complications,” he said. He rejected reports that a policeman had died of a snakebite, saying the officer was being treated.

The IGP’s response

On the reported move to KP, the IGP said: “Although no final decision has been made yet to send the force to KP, if it happens, we will make it public officially.”

He said steps were being taken on a priority basis to provide quality food at Attock and Wah Cantt, and rejected reports of adulterated food being supplied “on a large scale”. When complaints were investigated, “one of the police employees was caught mixing water in the food deliberately”, he said. The Punjab Food Authority has sent teams to check the quality of food and drinking water.

The bigger picture

The deployment was ordered to stop the PTI’s long march from KP towards Islamabad. Emergency and governor’s rule were imposed in KP on Sunday, and the federal government has authorised army deployment in the province in aid of civil power.

Why it matters

Thousands of police officers have spent two weeks away from home, guarding roads and bridges in tough conditions. Five of them have died. Looking after the people asked to keep order is not just a welfare issue; it affects how well they can do their job. Read our report on Kundi’s warning that the march would not pass Attock.

This article draws on reporting by Dawn.