News
Monday, March 15, 2010
AN EYE ON POLITICS: Shahbaz is loyal to Punjab at Pakistan’s expense
By Shafiq Awan
We appreciate Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif’s late night visit to a number of bomb-stricken areas in Allama Iqbal Town, a move that boosted Lahori spirits against terrorism.
There is no doubt that such visits by a high-profile personality, at a time when the city was under the grip of terror, invigorates public valor. Our political contingent is determined to rid of the menace of extremism, but this aim cannot be achieved without an effective administration.
The CM’s appeal, asking the Taliban not to target Punjab, since both the terrorist group and the provincial government have the same views over foreign dictation has shocked many. I believe his statement will lead to further controversy and that Sindh and NWFP should have serious reservation over it. His love for Punjab cannot be doubted, but shouldn’t he be making an appeal for the safety of the entire country?
The residents of Iqbal Town were still mourning the loss of 75 of their loved ones who were lost in the Moon Market blast in December 2009, while the recent wave of terror has further shaken their confidence in law enforcement agencies. What were out law enforcement agencies doing when the terrorists struck our citizens? Where were our Patrolling Police, Muhafiz Force, Quick Response Force, Mujahid Squad, Elite force? Where were those responsible for protecting the masses?
After the RA Bazaar blasts and the first two explosions in Iqbal Town, law enforcers should have become extra vigilant. Iqbal Town Circle Superintendent of Police Nasir Iqbal Rizvi stubbornly repeated that the Iqbal Town blasts were low-intensity and triggered by home made “crackers”, but the Bomb Disposal Squad refuted the claim and declared that the series of blasts were carried out using time device.
How can a home-made “cracker” so badly damage a car? One couldn’t help but notice how all the nameplates outside police officers’ residences were removed following the Iqbal Town blasts.
A senior police officer told me that law enforcers had not been prepared to deal with any possible threat in the Iqbal Town region after the RA Bazaar attack. No special measures or patrolling was designed to counter a possible threat in the area. If any number of security personnel had been deployed in the area after the first two blasts, the terrorists would have known that “Lahore was ready”. But the terror spree was allowed to continue.
A senior police officer complained that police officials had been “bullied” in the CM’s meeting on law and order after the blast. My dear officer, the CM’s concerns after the RA Bazaar attack and the woeful planning after the series of blasts in Iqbal Town were genuine. To avoid any harsh treatment in the future, you should really be extra vigilant. Shahbaz was right in his claims that his government were providing all facilities to police, ranging from finances to strategic facilities, but law enforcers should at least plan well to compensate for their performance.
The said police officer admitted that the series of blasts in Iqbal Town could have been averted if police had been vigilant. He dispelled the impression that cops had locked themselves in their safe houses after the blasts. To a question as to why police had failed to reach the blast site on time, he excused himself by saying that the delay had been caused by being ill prepared for the attack.
I disagree with the notion that police had not planned appropriately. In fact, capability is the first step to competence. Only afterwards does planning hold any importance. Our police lacks the capability to deal with such situations and it had dedicated itself to exercise third degree tortures, stage encounters, converting police stations into concentration camps and converting cops into proverbial scarecrows.
The CM directed police to collect evidence and protect crime scenes like the military did after the RA Bazaar blasts. A senior police officer complained about how journalists crowded on to blast sites, “which distorts potential evidence”. This might be true, but it can be avoided by making the crime scene a “no go area” for every person except security personnel and emergency services’ personnel. Police have a right to treat journalists the same as everyone else.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk