Unease among Punjab police personnel on reports of deployment in KP
LAHORE: The concerns of the Punjab Police personnel, already facing issues of bad food and missing facilities during deployment in Rawalpindi division to counter the PTI march, further deepened on Sunday on the ‘rumours’ that 25,000 of the total 40,000 would be moved from Attock (Punjab) to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa after declaration of an emergency and imposition of the governor’s rule. Disillusioned…
LAHORE: The state of mind of Punjab Police personnel deployed in Rawalpindi division to stop PTI protests was further clouded on Sunday with rumors circulating about their potential deployment in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) after an emergency and imposition of governor's rule. Exhausted from fatigue, lack of sleep, and poor living conditions, a Punjab Police officer expressed concern that the expected transfer of 25,000 out of 40,000 personnel from Attock (Punjab) to KP would be a significant challenge and cause serious trouble for them.
The police personnel have been facing a barrage of allegations against the Rawalpindi division police administration for supplying rotten and stale food to the deployed personnel. Reports confirmed the tragic deaths of five policemen during the last two weeks in line of duty at Attock and Wah Cantt, with three fatalities resulting from heart attacks, one drowning in a canal, and two others succumbing to medical complications. One constable was fighting for his life after being bitten by a snake in the jungle.
The police personnel have been complaining about the foul-smelling food, poor catering, inadequate washroom facilities, and risky living conditions, particularly in district Attock. Some senior officers backed their force and blamed the Rawalpindi police authorities for the mishandling of the situation. Videos of the stale food served to the force were widely circulated on social media, with some recordings showing insects or worms in the food.
However, Punjab Inspector General of Police Abdul Kareem denied any decision had been taken for relocating the police force to KP. He assured that steps would be taken to provide quality food to the force at Attock and Wah Cantt on a priority basis. Kareem rejected the allegations of adulterated food on a large scale, stating that only one officer was caught deliberately mixing water in the food, and the Punjab Food Authority was investigating the complaints to ensure hygienic food and drinking water for the police personnel.
Written by urgent.news from Dawn - Pakistan's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
