People resist police bid to take over park

Local PTI, PML-N leaders join protest

SARGODHA:

An attempt by the police to take over a park in Sargodha sparked a protest by local people lead by activists from across the political divide in the city.

The Ali Park had been established in Farid Kot, a densely populated area of Sargodha, by the Parks and Horticulture Authority (PHA). A heavy police contingent arrived to occupy the park, claiming that it was owned by their department.

On hearing about the incident, a local leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Muhammad Iqbal, who had contested election for the provincial assembly from the constituency in 2018, reached the spot and a large number of local people gathered. When the crowd started protesting, more personnel were called in, who baton charged the protesters to disperse them.

According to witnesses, Iqbal was also injured during the baton charge.

After dispersing the protesters, the police demolished with heavy machinery the sheds and other structures built in the park, while the plants and grass were also uprooted by bulldozers.

Local people protested against police brutality for the second day in a row, in which leaders of the PTI and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) jointly participated.

North Punjab PTI senior vice-president Ansar Haral, former MPA Dr Nadia Aziz and PML-N MNA Hamid Hameed participated in the protest along with their supporters.

MNA Hameed said on this occasion that the facility was not just a park but used by the community for various events, including Eid and funeral prayers.

The PHA in Sargodha was established in 2013, after which it identified several locations in the city, including the Ali Park site, for establishing new parks and renovating existing ones.

After establishing the park, about Rs25 million was spent on its beautification over time, an official said.

However, a police spokesman, Abid Hussain, told The Express Tribune that the land had been allotted for the construction of a three-storey model police station for the urban area. He said the Punjab government had now given permission for the construction and Rs190 million had been released for the purpose.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 20^th, 2022.