RAWALPINDI: About 32,000 police officers brought from other parts of northern Punjab and sent to different locations in Attock district to stop the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) long march are reportedly facing a lack of basic facilities. They say there are too few toilets, not enough drinking water and poor-quality food.
Meanwhile, reports say senior officers sent ahead of the march are staying in well-equipped homes and properties owned by wealthy businesspeople and political leaders.
Police officers at the sites have reportedly suffered from colds, flu, coughs, stomach illnesses, diarrhoea, fever and sore throats because of the weather and poor living conditions.
Constable Zulfiqar, who came from Dera Ghazi Khan, died of a heart attack. Constable Zain Bosan, from Mandi Bahauddin, drowned in the Ghazi Barotha canal after slipping.
The officers are staying in government schools and clinics. They have to sleep on the floors with blankets. At one school housing nearly 1,000 officers, there is reportedly only one toilet.
The lack of toilets has caused serious problems. Without enough toilets, many officers use bushes and fields under the Attock River bridge. They say this is making their difficulties worse.
A person named Sheikh Ajmal reportedly received the contract to provide meals and breakfast. Officers say the breakfast, tea and curry are often not fresh.
They say food cooked at night is packed in small plastic containers and handed out in the afternoon, when it has gone stale.
“Since we came to Attock for duty, fresh tea, food and breakfast have become a dream,” they said.
They said about 200 officers at a time have to wait for hours to use one toilet. Because the weather has changed, about one in every five or six officers reportedly has a cold, flu, cough or fever. They also said there are not enough medical teams to check them.
At night, officers sleep on school floors, with one blanket underneath and another on top. Some sleep in school corridors, while others use school benches as makeshift beds. They said their work is also very demanding.Because the march has been delayed, their time on duty has also been extended.
The Punjab Inspector General of Police visited Attock to check on the situation and encourage the officers. Regional and district police chiefs have been told to visit every day.
Officers from Dera Ghazi Khan, Multan and Khanewal, including Irfan, Faisal, Nauman and Qaiser Malik, said they came after being told they would receive extra pay and work for two or three days. Their duty has now been extended.“We have no problem doing our duty. We are not afraid and will not leave. It is our job to stop the marchers, even by using force, but we should at least be given proper facilities,” they said.
They said toilets were a basic need and had become a serious problem. “Everyone has started using open spaces. There is no water for bathing or washing before prayer, and some of us are even missing prayers,” they said.
They said the sleeping arrangements and food were hard to manage, but the lack of toilets and water was unbearable.
They said they speak to their families every day, and their parents have begun telling them to return if they cannot get proper facilities.
They asked the Punjab police chief, the Rawalpindi regional police chief and the Attock district police chief to provide enough toilets, drinking water, and water for bathing and washing before prayer. “We will handle the long march,” they said.
Meanwhile, around 250 senior officers have reportedly been split into groups of 10 to 20. They are staying in homes, guest houses, farms and offices owned by well-known businesspeople, political leaders and wealthy residents of Attock. Reports say the officers were placed there after requests and pressure.
The officers are reportedly staying in air-conditioned rooms and are being given meals, tea and breakfast. Their hosts are looking after them until the long-march situation is settled. A well-known Attock businessman told The Express Tribune that 16 police officers were staying at his home and farm, where he was providing them with facilities.
Reported By: Staff Reporter I Rawalpindi
