KP police in a fix amid PTI protest

PESHAWAR: The bosses and employees of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police and a number of other departments are in a fix since the provincial government launched a protest against the federal government.

Many policemen and officials of other departments were held by Islamabad and Punjab police during a crackdown on the protesters in the last couple of days.

Besides the arrest of 11 policemen, there were reports that 41 employees of Rescue 1122 were arrested by the Punjab police for accompanying the protest rally led by Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur.

Also, 22 vehicles of the Rescue 1122, Peshawar Development Authority and Local Government were impounded.

“As many as 17 vehicles of the Rescue 1122 have been impounded by the police. Around 41 employees have been arrested,” an official of the Rescue 1122 told The News. He said vehicles of other departments were also impounded.

According to the official, the vehicles included ambulances, fire-trucks which were provided on the directives of the provincial government for emergency services. However, there were a number of other vehicles carrying heavy machinery to remove blockades on the way to Islamabad.

There were reports that families of a number of the Rescue 1122 personnel held in Punjab and Islamabad have announced staging protests outside the headquarters of the service if their loved ones were not released by Monday.

The leadership of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), which is ruling KP, had directed different departments to provide ambulances and other vehicles for emergency as well as to remove barricades while on their way to Islamabad.

A large number of policemen along with official vehicles provide security to the chief minister and other cabinet members whenever they move. Scores of these cops were accompanying the chief minister, members of the cabinet when they decided to march towards Islamabad.

“Some of these policemen have been arrested in Islamabad and other districts while they were providing security to chief minister and other cabinet members,” an official said.

Policemen performing duty with the chief minister and other ministers were in a fix in this entire situation. The same was the situation with the top bosses.

“You have to provide security to the chief executive of a province wherever he moves,” an official said. He added the cops can’t refuse security duty whether it was in KP or out of the province.

A scene was developed in Lahore a couple of years back when the chief minister of Gilgit-Baltistan paid a visit along with his security during a protest at Zaman Park and his cops allegedly clashed with Punjab police.

On Sunday, a large number of PTI protestors entered the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly building in the red-zone when a session was going on. Heavy contingents of police were deployed near the Suri Bridge but they failed to stop the political protesters of the ruling party from entering the assembly building.

The KP police force is already on alert in the wake of frequent attacks on its men and establishments in southern districts and other parts of the province.

The force has sacrificed over 100 policemen in over 228 attacks only during the last nine months.