Pakistan Freedom March: Hard times for additional police force
Food, shelter in short supply as constables spend first night in the open
Islamabad: A small contingent of additional police force that has arrived from various police formations to confront the long marchers is facing hard times in garrison city of Rawalpindi as the local police lack barracks at the Police Lines Headquarters as well as funds to provide them with shelter or food.
Some of these constables, head constables and assistant sub-inspector (ASI), sub-inspectors (SI), had to spend their first night in the open (some in the veranda) due to lack of barracks and wait in long queues for toilets.
The guest policemen were also charged higher prices at the canteen in the Police Lines. These contingents of extra police include regular police, Special Protection Unit (SPU) personnel and Punjab Highway Patrol (PHP) officials.
Among the police contingents, over 440 police personnel arrived from Police College, Sihala. The additional police were assured that they would be served a breakfast and meal at night, while there was no mention of lunch.
“The canteen contractor has increased the prices of biscuits and samosas by 50 per cent which is unjustified,” a sub-inspector who arrived from Sihala College said.
“There is no water to use in toilets as long queues could be seen outside,” he further complained, adding that the police personnel had to use the nearby mosque’s toilets.
According to Police Lines Reserve Inspector Sohail Mumtaz over 3,500 police personnel had arrived Wednesday and Thursday night and more would reach in coming nights.
He said the extra police were being provided all facilities, including meal and accommodation.
A senior police official said that the extra police were being shifted to different police stations to accommodate them and to ensure their availability for deployment in case of sealing of roads with containers and razor wires.