‘I don’t wear N-95 masks because my force doesn’t have these’

Corona has brought with it a different lifestyle, new challenges and opportunities. Unfortunately, urban centres like Karachi, Lahore, Rawalpindi and Peshawar etc. had turbulence in landing into this new scenario as we witnessed scenes of public humiliation of lockdown violators and disorder in everyday life there.

Islamabad, however, gives a different look, a look of order and sobriety in this hour of chaos. Residents of the city deserve our tribute for holding their ground, surely. There have been scenes of Islooites thanking their doctors, paramedics and police for being there on their behalf.

We asked Islamabad Inspector General of Police (IGP) about the secret for winning public trust in this stressful time. “Respect is the secret. ‘Pehlay salam, phir kam’ is our motto,” he told ‘The News’, sitting in the neat office in Police Lines, the construction of which he oversaw after taking charge.

Asked about the scuffles and pushes and shoves at food distribution points, he said at the start it happened. Philanthropists were distributing food in open and it was hard for the police to protect self-respect of the recipients and keep order, he said.

“But then we took it upon ourselves to become a bridge between the donors and the recipient of donations. The police are cognizant of the areas where food is needed. So we delivered food to doorsteps of deserving people; hence, countering any chances of mismanagement in public,” he told me.

He said this way the self-respect of recipient was also protected. “I made sure that deserving people are not photographed taking alms and food to protect their self-respect. You will see in photos police distributing food but not the poor receiving it,” he said.

Anyhow, Ehsaas Programme organisers may have a different concept of self-respect and risk of disease spread as they set up their corners in the open. IG Zulfiqar says, “Unlike other parts of the country, you will not find a single case of chaos and disorder as Ehsaas corners in Islamabad. The police made sure SOPs for physical distancing are followed and everything goes in order.”

“In this scenario, protecting our force is of paramount importance. If our ‘jawan’ catches the disease, who will protect the public. Our force is exposed to public 24/7. So I maintained a strict precautionary system for 11,000-strong police force. Those who are returning to duty after leave are quarantined for a week at least before joining office,” he said, his face radiant with commitment.

So far no single police official has been infected with this virus due to the precautions the police are taking, he told me.

Asked about complaints of different officials and public about unavailability of N-95 masks for police, he said, “I have three or four N-95 masks. Some organisations have given me and others. But I do not wear these as my force does not have these. I wear the mask that every other police jawan wears. We shall pull through together.”

He said the police have also controlled crime and anti-social elements like one-wheelers creating disorder on roads.

Due to his presence on Twitter, people easily recognize him and his deputies and narrate their complaints. As per IG Zulfiqar’s vision, the police have also held online sessions to take in public complaints and address them. It is disgraceful to call such sessions, online or otherwise, Police Darbar or Open Court as these words have a kingly connotation while IG Zulfiqar knows well that police are servant of the masses.

Due to his public-friendly vision, he has made Islamabad the safest city of the country in hardly one and a half years. There, still, is much need for improvement to stop crime, especially on the edges of the city.