Back in the ring: I am not trained to leave the battlefield, SSP Junejo

Exclusive interview with capital’s top cop as he returns to the job after a brutal attack

ISLAMABAD:

He got knocked down, but as promised, he got back up and says nothing can keep him down now. “I am not trained to leave the battlefield,” said newly-appointed Senior Superintendent of Islamabad Police Operations Asmatullah Junejo, as he prepared to return to the job three weeks after a brutal beating at the hands of protesters on Constitution Avenue. The incident took place on September 1, less than 24 hours after his first day on the job.

In an exclusive interview with The Express Tribune, Junejo spoke of his determination to return to work. “People told me not to jump into the inferno again, but I’ve taken this as a challenge,” he said. Incidents such as the beating are ‘part and parcel of the job’, he said.

The SSP said he was attacked from behind as he was negotiating with the protesters. “Those who attacked law enforcement officials were not unarmed protesters,” he said. An FIR was registered earlier this week against at least 60 Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and Pakistan Awami Tehreek workers who reportedly attacked the SSP when he tried to stop them from entering PM House and snatched his wristwatch and official weapon. But Junejo says collective punishment is “not my cup of tea”.

The young police officer’s resume reads more like that of an academic than a typical cop. After completing his LLB, he earned his master’s degrees in civil engineering, sociology and human resources management, and later, a master’s in public administration from the University of Hawaii on a scholarship. While in the US, he also snapped up three diplomas – in peace and conflict resolution, leadership, and disaster management and human assistance.

Junejo started his service career as an inspector in the Excise Department’s Anti-Narcotics Cell in Karachi in 2001. In 2005, he passed the CSS exams and joined the Punjab Police.

The ongoing sit-ins

Junejo says there is no pressure on police to make “pointless arrests” or crack down on anti-government protesters in the capital. “That will just add fuel to the fire,” he said. The arrests of DJ Butt and other party workers earlier this month were needless “cosmetic measures”, he added.

However, he said, police are ready to ensure that red lines are not crossed at any cost. “Minus live bullets, we have been given complete authority to take all measures to protect state institutions,” he said.

At the same time, he admitted that the absence of deadly weapons may hinder law enforcers. The SSP revealed that 10 men claiming to be officials of a private security company were arrested from the sit-in site and unlicensed weapons seized from their possession. The men were given time to produce licenses, he said, but failed to do so.

He said they were being interrogated to determine who they are and what were they doing with such weapons at the sit-in site. He revealed that around 21,000 law enforcers were deployed at the sit-ins and the government intends to keep these officers at the venue until December if needed.

Junejo lamented that there is no respect for difference of opinion at the protest camps. “At the moment, they are acting like prosecutors and judges.” Despite the difference of opinion, however, the government is determined to provide maximum security to the protesters, he said. Imran Khan’s container, for instance, was made bullet-proof by law enforcement officials, he said.

Attack on PTV HQ

Commenting on the attack on PTV headquarters on September 1, Junejo noted that the army had not been instructed to protect the building. Soldiers promptly came to evacuate the building once they had received verbal orders to do so, he said. “Nonetheless, it was a big security lapse,” he admitted. Junejo said that under Article 245, the police’s responsibility was to assist the armed forces.

Containers

Junejo revealed that around 350 containers were placed in and around the capital and the government was paying Rs5,000 per container per day. “The first thing I will do after rejoining office is to remove all the containers in accordance with court orders,” he said. “The general public is suffering because of the containers and those who want to reach the sit-ins are able to do so despite the containers,” he added.

High on crime and low on cops

The worrying crime rate in the capital has left Junejo eager to resume work. He revealed that a 126 per cent increase was seen in vehicle thefts and a staggering 450 per cent rise in burglaries in August 2014 as compared with the same period last year. Street crimes have also increased and soft drugs are easily available in and around the sit-in sites, he said.

Junejo added that most crimes are taking place in the limits of Tarnol, Kohsar and Margalla police stations. “Traffic rules are also being violated in the name of inqilab and azadi,” he added.

Of the 8,000 policemen in the capital’s force, 5,000 are deployed at the sit-ins, Junejo said. The department has demanded 5,000 more policemen but only 600 were inducted. Meanwhile, 1,500 personnel are on VIP security duty, he said. “We only have 3,000 people left to guard the city,” he said. “That’s peanuts.”

Published in The Express Tribune, September 24^th, 2014.