Hats off to the cops!

It has almost become a societal habit to heap abuses on policemen for all the perceived wrongs they may or may not have done. We tend to scapegoat them when something goes wrong, but never step up to salute them when they perform acts of valour or decency. An act of self-restraint by policemen amid a torrent of abuses by an influential lady has gone viral on social media, illustrating just under how much pressure our cops discharge their duties. Mansehra police on Thursday registered a case against the woman who could be seen in the video harassing officials and proclaiming herself to be the ‘wife of a colonel’ after they refused to let her vehicle pass through a blockade on the Hazara Motorway.

According to a statement by Mansehra police, the woman in question threatened, insulted, misbehaved and interfered with police officials performing their ‘lawful duty’ on May 20. It was only fair that an FIR was lodged against the hot-headed woman at the local police station. The case has been registered on the complaint of Assistant Sub Inspector Aurangzeb. The complaint states that the official was on duty at the Hazara Motorway, of which a section is currently under construction. “Despite this, some vehicles pass through which causes problems. It was my duty to stop the cars and prevent them from going forward,” the FIR quotes the official as saying.

The complainant added that when the woman was stopped, she resorted to verbally abusing and threatening the officials, forcibly removed the obstacles set up, and forced her way through the blockade. It is not immediately clear if the woman is actually the wife of an armed forces officer or just masquerading to be so. Nevertheless, everybody is equal in the eyes of law and in this case, we find the police officers behaved professionally and soberly. Hats off to the cops!

Published in The Express Tribune, May 24^th, 2020.

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