Failure to thwart march triggers police introspection

Amid questions raised about  police's failure to stop a banned party's march towards the federal capital, while some senior officials have blamed unclear government policy, some personnel of lower ranks have also reportedly sought an inquiry. On Tuesday, 60 policemen of Hafizabad deputed at a picket at Sadhoki on GT Road, where the protesters were to be stopped, demanded an inquiry to ascertain responsibility for a flawed security plan, sources said. In a letter to Punjab IGP Rao Sardar, the policemen criticised the role of their senior officers and other law-enforcement personnel. They called for a committee comprising of most senior officers to be constituted to identify the officials showing cowardice on the occasion and asked that when the front line had been pushing back the protesters, why the backup force did not show up. Read Buzdar gives LEAs 'free hand' as TLP march nears Gujranwala The committee should also ascertain if the security plan matched modern requirements, they wrote. The personnel also demanded registration of a case against those responsible for putting in danger the lives of those fighting on the front. SI Khalid Nawaz Warya of Hafizabad police stated that he along with 60 other policemen was deployed on the front line at Sadhoki to stop the march. "The morale of the officials was high and despite very limited resources they thwarted the movement of a large number of protesters and pushed them back over a kilometre. Published in The Express Tribune, November 3rd, 2021.

from Punjab News Updates and Insights - The Express Tribune https://ift.tt/2ZJJiNV