A prank too far

At the Sialkot rescue centre, up to 5,000 calls are received. However, more than 90 per cent are false.

Unlike the scenes of prompt action one sees at emergency services around the world when the phone rings, nothing happens when an emergency call is made to the police-run 15 rescue centre in Sialkot. Staff at the centre say that almost all the calls are ‘hoax’ or ‘prank’ calls and so they see little point in responding to them. Similar complaints have been made in the past by the 1122 rescue service in Lahore and other cities, though in most cases they still reach the address given. The ‘pranksters’ perhaps do not realise that through their actions, they are both blocking lines and preventing those facing a real emergency from receiving help. There have been complaints in Sialkot of precisely this happening, and people with genuine emergencies suffering in the process.

At the Sialkot rescue centre, up to 5,000 calls are received on eight phone sets daily. However, more than 90 per cent are false. To add to the complications, people also call the number from other districts,making response impossible. The situation then is clearly not a happy one at all and requires some kind of action. This is not just a joke, or a matter of people having fun. The ‘false’ calls can quite easily result in lives being lost or damage of various kinds committed. There had been talk some time ago of penalties being imposed on those making fake calls to the 1122 services. There appears to have been little follow-up on this, even though calls today can be easily traced. This is the kind of work the PTA should focus on rather than working to block websites or censor text messages.

The question of civil responsibility also comes into play. We all know there is far too little of it in our country. But hampering the work of the rescue services poses a real threat to those in need. We need to convince pranksters out there that they need to find some other, more innocuous form of entertainment.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 3^rd, 2012.