Cops chasing people not carrying Covid vaccination cards

Civic circles have strongly criticised the Sindh government for registering FIRs against people for not carrying Covid vaccination cards.

A law abiding citizen becomes a suspect when police make his criminal record which is available online and hampers access to many services particularly acquisition of loans and leasing services, citizens concerned over the drive said.

Following the instructions of the Sindh government issued earlier this week, police in a crackdown arrested 33 people and registered 18 cases across the city. These people had stepped out of their homes without vaccination cards.

Sindh IGP Mushtaq Mehr on Thursday had directed the Sindh police to arrest people who fail to produce vaccination proof.

The order was received like a blessing from skies by cops on patrol who have allegedly started a spree to extort money from people on pretext of jab cards.

As soon as this order was received, the police took action and 18 cases were registered from Thursday night to Friday night, with 33 persons arrested and sent behind bars. The first case in the city was registered at Sohrab Goth police station at 10 pm on Thursday in which two citizens named Khalid and Habibur Rehman were arrested from Ayub Goth Sunday Bazaar. In another case, police demanded vaccination card from a hotel employee Muhammad Naeem, which he could not produce after which he was taken into custody.

On Thursday and Friday, many passers-by, young people and men hanging out at eateries, chai shops and roadside dhabas were intercepted by the police for vaccination cards. Many were instantly taken to police stations while others managed to walk free after allegedly paying bribes or offering powerful references. Family and friends of those taken in custody rushed to the police stations to retrieve their loved ones.

Read More: Vaccination centres set up on KU premises

‘Police harassing people’

Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan (MQM-P) Deputy Convener Nasreen Jalil has alleged that Sindh police are harassing people of Karachi on non-production of coronavirus vaccination cards and unreasonably reprimanding and arresting them.

She said that the prejudiced and corrupt government of Sindh was turning the province into a police state by harassing people on the pretext of not being vaccinated against coronavirus. She said, under the garb of efforts against pandemic, the police are extorting money from public and registering FIRs against those who have not so far been vaccinated.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 25^th, 2021.