MicroPakistan

Some interesting facts and figures from a DAWN news report:

• Karachi police’s strength is 29,000.
• 6,000 members use over 100 well-mantained vans to escort high-flying VIP’s.
• Effectively, more than 1/5th of the city’s police force is deployed to escort VIP’s (whatever that means these days).
• DAWN’s report on the matter stated that 72 per cent of escorts assigned by the police department were in the service of judges, politicians and religious leaders.
• In addition to politicians, judges and religious leaders, some high-ranking police officials employ the services of 27 armed escorts.
• Another senior police official said that a police escort had also become a status symbol. He said that some Muttahida Qaumi Movement ministers were very particular about police escorts. He added that a provincial minister had as many as 55 police guards.
• All this while Karachi police has a shortage of at least 2,000 people.
• To find out the names of people who employ such heavy escorts click here.
• Often police officers who accompanied religious leaders adopted their views, which were at times very extreme. Many police officers on such a duty lost their professional skills over time. Many of them received daily meals and a certain allowance on top of their salaries. Some ended up cooking for their bosses and picking up their children from school.

This raises a lot of questions about our priorities. Obviously, such misplaced priorities are visible all over the country. Such disproportionate distribution of resources cannot be justified on any account. A provincial minister having as many as 55 guards is just WRONG.

Yes, lives of many of these people are in danger due to the type of work they are involved in. It would also make sense to provide them with some sort of security. However, to do it disproportionately is wrong. Also, different people face different risks. Just because one MP may need 55 guards does not mean that every MP should be given 55 guards. Though I’m sure no MP or Judge or political leader or religious leader needs more than a few guards.

I feel that any such person who feels he/she needs protection should make an application to the police and then the police should take that application and their resources into account and allocate accordingly.

There is a huge assumption here - that the police will carry out this process fairly and judiciously without any biases.

At this point it seems as if a lot of resources are being wasted, which is leading a huge increase in all types of crimes and creating major law enforcement problems. Most people being provided with police escorts only have them because they feel that they deserve it in the position that they are in. They would find it below their dignity to travel without such an escort. It reflects on our ‘bara aadmi’ attitude and brings into play concepts such as ‘tayka’ and ‘pahunch’. A police van does not make one a big man, it is the actions that make a man big or small.

However, there is a hint of good news. Recently, the Sindh government has decided to withraw police guards from high-flying VIPs in order to overcome a shortage of manpower. This is, so far, only on paper. We will have to wait and see whether it is acted upon.